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

Asked about divesting from fossil fuels, Caballero said the transition away from fossil fuel companies will take time. —Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

That law made Illinois the first state to divest its public pension funds from companies that participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel, according to a news release issued at the time by the state. —Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

The state’s two largest public pension systems, which Cohen sits on the board of, have not divested from fossil fuels despite activists urging the funds to do so. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 25 Apr. 2026

Dollison divested himself of the Advocate before being sworn into the Legislature. —Arkansas Online, 25 Apr. 2026

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