divestiture
noun
di·ves·ti·ture
dī-ˈve-stə-ˌchu̇r 
-chər,
də-,
chiefly Southern -t(y)u̇(ə)r
: the act of divesting: such as
a
: the voluntary act or process of divesting oneself of an asset (such as a business division) by sale, exchange, spin-off, etc.
b
: the compulsory transfer of title or disposal of assets or interests (such as stock in a corporation) upon government or court order (as in bankruptcy or antitrust enforcement)
Examples of divestiture in a Sentence
Divestitures are used to break up monopolies.
Before divestiture, the telephone company monopolized the state.
Recent Examples on the Web
If his primary issue with Comcast buying WBD is CNN, a divestiture or deal without the network could circumvent those issues.
—
Alex Sherman,lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Congress signed into law a divest-or-ban order during the Biden administration, but Trump—whose Justice Department must enforce a ban—issued, then repeatedly extended, an enforcement pause in the interest of coming to terms about divestiture.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Maggio’s departure comes on the heels of Marco Bizzarri’s divestiture of his stake in the company in July and his own exit, resigning as chairman at the end of September.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
International sales part of sluggish performance P&G’s cuts come after its 2024 organic sales growth (which excludes the impact of foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestitures) slowed to a seven-year low.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for divestiture
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Alex Sherman,lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Congress signed into law a divest-or-ban order during the Biden administration, but Trump—whose Justice Department must enforce a ban—issued, then repeatedly extended, an enforcement pause in the interest of coming to terms about divestiture.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Maggio’s departure comes on the heels of Marco Bizzarri’s divestiture of his stake in the company in July and his own exit, resigning as chairman at the end of September.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
International sales part of sluggish performance P&G’s cuts come after its 2024 organic sales growth (which excludes the impact of foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestitures) slowed to a seven-year low.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for divestiture
Cite this Entry
“Divestiture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divestiture. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
divestiture
noun
di·ves·ti·ture
dī-ˈves-ti-ˌchu̇r, də-, -chər
1
: the sale or transfer of title to a property (as an operating division) under court order (as in bankruptcy)
2
: the sale of an asset (as a business division) that is unprofitable, does not enhance a corporate restructuring, or is felt to be morally reprehensible
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