divest

verb

di·​vest dī-ˈvest How to pronounce divest (audio)
də-
divested; divesting; divests

transitive verb

1
a
: 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 fuels
b
: to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment
Christmas trees divested of their ornaments
c
: rid, free
2
: to take away from a person
divestment noun

Did you know?

The vest in divest is a close relation of the kind found in closets—its origin is Latin vestis meaning “clothing, garment.” (Vest has the same source and first appeared in English as a verb in the 15th century meaning “to put on garments or vestments.”) Divest today mostly appears in legal and business contexts about a formal removal or loss of something of value; assets that are divested are sold or given away; someone divested of a right officially loses that right. The word’s first late 16th century use, however, was more intimately related to its roots: divest was then used to mean “to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment.” But broader application of divest soon followed. In Shakespeare’s Henry V, the French King Charles is told via messenger that England’s King Henry “wills you, in the name of God Almighty, / That you divest yourself, and lay apart / ... the crown / And all wide-stretched honours that pertain ...”

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 on the Web The store was divested in 2015 by Albertsons in a merger with Safeway. Samantha Gowen, Orange County Register, 1 Mar. 2024 Turning to private equity can also offer an exit strategy for owners who are ready to divest their business to retire or pursue new ventures. Paul Flick, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The companies’ haven’t said which 13 Idaho stores would be divested. David Staats, Idaho Statesman, 22 Feb. 2024 In March 2023, the Biden administration was weighing a national ban of the app, unless TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divested from the social media platform. Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 12 Feb. 2024 The company has also recently divested a Sydney development asset for about A$240 million, according to another local media report. Neil Callanan, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024 In fact, the community credited with lighting the spark that started the environmental justice movement, Warren County North Carolina, is still an overburdened and divested Black community. Monica Sanders, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 At Columbia on Friday, hundreds of students gathered around 1 p.m. to encourage the school to divest from Israel and speak out against the killings of Palestinians. Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024 The Fed issued new ethics rules following the scandal to bar top officials from buying individual stocks and bonds, limit active trading and require new appointees to divest certain assets before joining the Fed. Catarina Saraiva, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'divest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of devest

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of divest was in 1623

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Dictionary Entries Near divest

Cite this Entry

“Divest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divest. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

divest

verb
di·​vest dī-ˈvest How to pronounce divest (audio)
də-
: to take something off or away from
divested myself of my heavy backpack

Legal Definition

divest

transitive verb
di·​vest dī-ˈvest, də- How to pronounce divest (audio)
: to deprive or dispossess (oneself) of property through divestiture
divestment noun
Etymology

Anglo-French devestir, literally, to undress, from Old French desvestir, from de(s)-, prefix marking reversal + vestir to dress, from Latin vestire

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