ouster

noun

oust·​er ˈau̇-stər 

1

a

: a wrongful dispossession

b

: a judgment removing an officer or depriving a corporation of a franchise

2

: expulsion

the ouster of the dictator

Examples of ouster in a Sentence

The news reported the ouster of the dictator.

the dictator's ouster by the rebels

Recent Examples on the Web

While hundreds of thousands of Syrians have returned from Lebanon since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024, many others remain reluctant to go back because of the lack of jobs and ongoing violence. —ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026

That led to the ouster of Abdulhak’s friend, President Ali Abdullah Saleh. —Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026

Musk, who runs OpenAI competitor xAI, is seeking the ouster of Sam Altman as CEO and the reversal of OpenAI’s restructuring, which would force it to operate as a nonprofit. —Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026

The Vikings did not want to install an untrusted voice at a time of flux following Adofo-Mensah’s ouster. —Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French, from oster, ouster to oust

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

ouster

noun

oust·​er ˈau̇s-tər 

: the act or an instance of ousting or being ousted

Legal Definition

ouster

noun

oust·​er ˈau̇s-tər 

1

: wrongful dispossession especially of a cotenant

2

: a judgment removing a public officer or depriving a corporation of a public franchise