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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Specifically, the suit alleged that Berkshire executives warned that Acme would be divested if the benefit reductions were not made.
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Eversource will be divesting itself of generation assets in New Hampshire and the Aquarion acquisition is expected to replace those earnings, Pretyman said.
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The Brooklyn-born, hijab-wearing Sarsour has been critical of Israel’s policies in the occupied territories and supports the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction the country.
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Sarsour, one of the lead organizers of the Women’s March on Washington, has been critical of Israel’s policies in the occupied territories and supports the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction the country.
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Ivanka Trump doesn’t plan to divest from her brand, said Jamie Gorelick, her attorney at law firm WilmerHale.
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Kushner divested himself of his interest in 666 Fifth Ave.
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When the Justice Department forced MCA, also the owner of the Universal movie studio, to divest itself of its talent operation, Perenchio lost his job.
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MCI’s sale of its wholesale Internet business to Cable & Wireless was intended to mollify those concerns, but regulators subsequently said the divestiture was inadequate and MCI is now preparing to divest more Internet services.
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
First Known Use: 1623
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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