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

The kerfuffle occurs after Democratic candidates of color accused state party leaders of trying to oust them from the race in favor of white candidates, who have more support in opinion polls. —Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026

The Herald has not been able to confirm if Sarian’s ousting is specifically related to HSA’s Florida division or if he was ousted from the entire health system, which also runs at least one hospital in Louisiana and two in Texas, according to its website. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026

Trump has endorsed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in the primary to oust Massie. —Jared Gans, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2026

According to court documents, South Florida was a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone the conspirators chose. —David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 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)