divest

verb

di·​vest dī-ˈvest 

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

dī-ˈves(t)-mənt 

də-

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 ...”

Synonyms

• dispossess
• expropriate
• oust

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

This might include preventing those firms from acquiring interests in U.S. companies or making the firms divest themselves of existing holdings. —Alden Abbott, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Companies would have 165 days to divest their apps before being removed from US app stores. —Makena Kelly, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2024

Congress is currently considering a law that would force TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to divest the social media app—or have it be banned in the U.S. Fortune Union busting? —Alan Murray, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024

The sale of Gearbox marks the latest insistence of Embracer unloading assets, following the company divesting Saber Interactive. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024

House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly this month to force ByteDance to divest the app, but the Senate has yet to take up the legislation. —Tony Romm, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024

Beijing moved to stop a deal for TikTok to American buyers a few years ago and recently condemned the congressional bill that mandates ByteDance divest the app. —Lauren Hirsch, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024

On March 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would, if enacted, force Chinese media conglomerate ByteDance to divest itself of TikTok or find the popular social media site banned in the United States. —David Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2024

Today, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app or face a ban in the United States. —Kate Lindsay, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of devest

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing divest

• divest of
• divest (oneself) of (something)

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Kids Definition

divest

verb

di·​vest dī-ˈvest 

də-

: to take something off or away from

divested myself of my heavy backpack

Legal Definition

divest

transitive verb

di·​vest dī-ˈvest, də- 

: 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