oust

verb

ˈau̇st 

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 quality

—R. V. Williams

Synonyms

• eject
• out
• banish
• dismiss
• chase
• expel
• evict

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

While Hacks, its cool older sister, walked off with the major acting awards—just days before the real live late night host Jimmy Kimmel was ousted from the airwaves for pointing a finger at Charlie Kirk fans. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025

In June, Pashinyan announced that a plot had been foiled to oust his administration. —Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025

The administration’s effort to oust him from the job represents a further erosion of norms meant to insulate the Justice Department from White House influence on prosecutorial decisions. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025

Over the years, government policies favoring the private sector and companies aiming to profit from the country’s natural resources were put in place to boost the economy after it was devastated by events like Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and the 2009 coup that ousted then-president José Manuel Zelaya. —Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for oust

• doused
• faust
• joust

Kids Definition

oust

verb

ˈau̇st 

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