1
as in to deny
to declare not to be true
he steadfastly disowned that he was having an affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to refuse
to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's responsibility
the dictatorial father angrily disowned his rebellious son
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disown
When Mary won’t give up the baby, she’s disowned by patriarch Whitelaw (Ed Harris) and exiled to New Jersey from her family’s palatial Long Island estate.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Becket is broke, disowned and circling a family fortune that never wanted him.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
They may be cut off from financial resources, disowned, or stripped of personal property and communal safety nets.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
In September 2025, it was revealed that Ferguson sent an email to Epstein apologizing for publicly disowning him in a March 2011 interview with the Evening Standard.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disown
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Becket is broke, disowned and circling a family fortune that never wanted him.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
They may be cut off from financial resources, disowned, or stripped of personal property and communal safety nets.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
In September 2025, it was revealed that Ferguson sent an email to Epstein apologizing for publicly disowning him in a March 2011 interview with the Evening Standard.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for disown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disown
Verb
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The medical providers Cole and Mosley accused denied wrongdoing.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
16 May 2026
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Weinstein’s attorneys have denied that encounter ever took place, and have argued that the trial judge improperly withheld evidence that would have bolstered his alibi.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
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To add to the sense of chaos, a ballboy refused to give the ball to Middlesbrough’s Matt Targett — who began his career at Southampton — which led to another flare-up.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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When Warren’s editor sent galleys of the book to William Faulkner, seeking a blurb, Faulkner refused.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
Verb
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But Breakfield rejected that argument during sentencing.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
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Lower courts likely won't approve a measure that aims to circumvent a Supreme Court ruling and would probably reject any law that ties the provision of general government services to the behaviors of the recipients, Smith said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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King’s break with Johnson was not about refuting his historic contributions.—
Mark Conway,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
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The court found that Pitt, 62, failed to provide enough evidence to refute Jolie's privilege claim, but the request was dismissed without prejudice, meaning his team can challenge the motion.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disown. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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