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

The states will push for a full divestiture of Ticketmaster. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

And a successful pending FTC appeal antitrust ruling could force divestitures. —Ryan Cormier, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

In 2024, nearly half of mergers and acquisitions activity in the consumer products industry came from divestitures, according to consulting firm Bain. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026

After the divestitures of six stations, the reach will be a bit less but still unprecedented in scale. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

divest + -iture (as in investiture)

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for divestiture

• investiture
• vestiture

Legal 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