Definition of divest
transitive verb
1a : to deprive or dispossess especially of property, authority, or title divesting assets to raise capital was divested of his rights divesting herself of all her worldly possessions encouraged the university to divest itself from fossil fuelsb : to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment Christmas trees divested of their ornamentsc : rid, free
2 : to take away from a person
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Examples of divest in a Sentence
The company is divesting 8 of its 20 stores.
We may have to divest assets to raise capital.
Recent Examples of divest from the Web
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Overall, 15.2 percent of Germany’s whole economy has divested from non-renewable sources of energy in the first half of 2017, up just 0.4 percent from the half-year prior.
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So then the only moral option is to divest of that privilege?
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Other senior officials in the executive branch are required to divest their assets.
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Other senior officials in the executive branch are required to divest their assets.
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Since that stimulus has multiplicative effects on businesses and total output, the AHCA slashes state outputs by amounts far greater than the amount of federal funds divested.
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Other senior officials in the executive branch are required to divest their assets.
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This isn’t the first time that someone has tried to sue Trump over his refusal to divest from the Trump Organization’s various holdings.
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Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has been among the voices arguing for wider patronage of schools, complaining in 2012 that the state was hampering the church’s efforts to divest control.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'divest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Divest is one of many English words that come from the Latin verb vestire (to clothe) and ultimately from the noun vestis (clothing, garment). Others include vest, vestment, invest, and travesty. Divest and its older form devest can mean to unclothe or to remove the clothing of, but the word had broader applications even when it was first being used in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the opening scene of Shakespeare's King Lear, Lear uses the term to mean rid oneself of or put aside:
"Tell me, my daughters
(Since now we will divest us both of rule,
Interest of territory, cares of state),
Which of you shall we say doth love us most?" In addition to clothing, one can be divested of power, authority, possessions, or burdens."
Origin and Etymology of divest
alteration of devest
Other Business Terms
DIVEST Defined for English Language Learners
divest
playDefinition of divest for English Language Learners
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finance : to sell (something valuable, such as property or stocks)
Law Dictionary
divest
playLegal Definition of divest
: to deprive or dispossess (oneself) of property through divestiture
divestment
nounOrigin and Etymology of divest
Anglo-French devestir, literally, to undress, from Old French desvestir, from de(s)-, prefix marking reversal + vestir to dress, from Latin vestire
Learn More about divest
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See words that rhyme with divest Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for divest Spanish Central: Translation of divest Nglish: Translation of divest for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of divest for Arabic speakers
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