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.

The team was ousted from the tournament in the first round.

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 of oust

• 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

Don’t mistake that for a deviation from his years-long campaign to oust Susan Collins. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 12 June 2026

Kim earned the trust of the eight-sport Winter Olympic Federations group against campaigning by Johan Eliasch, who was ousted Thursday as president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). —ABC News, 12 June 2026

While the previous board — then called the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority — approved the 14-mile extension of the 836 as a way to speed commuting times to and from Kendall, that panel was ousted in 2023 during a legal fight with Tallahassee. —Douglas Hanks june 11, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026

Park faced Faizah Malik, a public interest attorney endorsed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America — a group that has successfully organized to oust incumbent council members in recent years. —Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

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)