divest

verb

di·​vest dī-ˈvest 

də-

divested; divesting; divests

verb

1

transitive : to take something (as property, authority, or a right) away from (someone or something) : deprive, dispossess

They want … unions divested of their power …

—Robert Fulford

specifically : to deprive or dispossess (oneself) of property (as through government-ordered divestiture)

divest themselves of nonbanking interests

2

transitive + intransitive : to sell or give away (investments, property, etc.)

divesting assets to raise capital

must divest to avoid risk/loss

specifically : to sever one's financial ties with a company, industry, etc. (as due to ethical or environmental concerns)

… made the decision to divest from fossil fuels …

—Olivia Doak

… urged the university to divest its endowment from arms manufacturers.

—Jessica Blake

3

transitive : to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment

a room divested of furnishings

(old-fashioned) She divested herself of her coat.

4

transitive : rid, free

The remainder of the book will divest you of that notion.

—Alex Kotlowitz

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 of divest

• evict
• deprive
• dispossess
• 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

Of Building 19's infrastructure, at least eight laboratories have been completely divested without replacement, with some still needed to support critical functions for ongoing or upcoming missions, according to Peter. —Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025

That is why, on an overwhelming bipartisan basis, Congress required ByteDance to divest control of TikTok. —Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

In January, the platform went dark for less than 24 hours under federal legislation signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2024, as ByteDance did not divest the platform by a set deadline. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025

In fact, aiming to divest its fashion interests to concentrate on its editorial and communication operations, HdP in 2002 sold Valentino to the Marzotto textile company, as part of the latter’s strategy to expand as a luxury goods player. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of devest

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing divest

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

Rhymes for divest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed

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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