ousted; ousting; ousts

transitive verb

1
a
: to remove from or dispossess of property or position by legal action, by force, or by the compulsion of necessity
The rebels ousted the dictator from power.
b
: to take away (something, such as a right or authority) : bar, remove
The states do not like attempts by Congress to oust their jurisdiction.
2
: to take the place of : supplant
must be careful that quantity does not oust qualityR. V. Williams
Choose the Right Synonym for oust

eject, expel, oust, evict mean to drive or force out.

eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

Examples of oust in a Sentence

The rebels ousted the dictator from power. Large national banks are ousting local banks in many communities.
Recent Examples on the Web Mace was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust former GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy last fall. Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 During the Arab Spring, Tunisia ousted its longtime dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Today’s Paper | Subscribe Explore Our Coverage of Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis OpenAI said that Sam Altman, the chief executive who was chaotically ousted in November only to return to the company five days later, would regain a seat on its board of directors. Cade Metz Balazs Gardi, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was ousted last year, spoke with the former president multiple times every day during his administration to brief him on legislation during his term. USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 Under heavy political pressure, the CDC ousted Rosenberg in 1999. Christine Spolar, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 Raman prevailed, becoming the first member of the Democratic Socialists of America to oust an incumbent at City Hall. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024 After taking the helm, Musk proceeded to clean house by ousting several executives and roughly half of its employees. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2024 The Republican, who just six months ago was on the brink of removal from office, is charging into Texas’ primaries on a dramatic campaign to oust dozens in his own party. Jim Vertuno, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French oster, ouster to take off, remove, oust, from Late Latin obstare to ward off, from Latin, to stand in the way, from ob- in the way + stare to stand — more at ob-, stand

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of oust was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Oust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oust. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oust

verb
: to force or drive out (as from office or from possession of something)

More from Merriam-Webster on oust

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