as in to evict
to end the occupancy or possession of
opponents of gentrification claim that the process unfairly dispossesses poorer residents of their long-established homes
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Recent Examples of dispossess
Like Dunbar’s speakers, Hughes’s dispossessed have no way out, and the poem implicitly refutes optimism regarding the Great Migration and racial progress.
—
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
As with the enclosures in England and Scotland, villagers were uprooted and dispossessed to make way for sheep and cattle.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Sep. 2025
The cry is always I have been dispossessed of what belongs to me, my house, the food, foodstuff, the land.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2025
A number of Indigenous communities like the Batwa relocated to the periphery of national parks and protected areas—or further—many of them dispossessed of their ancestral homelands, their rights to the terrain, and its resources.
—Katherine Gallardo, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for dispossess
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
As with the enclosures in England and Scotland, villagers were uprooted and dispossessed to make way for sheep and cattle.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Sep. 2025
The cry is always I have been dispossessed of what belongs to me, my house, the food, foodstuff, the land.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2025
A number of Indigenous communities like the Batwa relocated to the periphery of national parks and protected areas—or further—many of them dispossessed of their ancestral homelands, their rights to the terrain, and its resources.
—Katherine Gallardo, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for dispossess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossess
Verb
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At the same time, the city successfully intervened in a local conflict that sparked the situation after local tenants said they were being evicted unfairly.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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Under California law, private companies have no authority to evict occupants, and using force or intimidation can expose those companies to civil or criminal charges.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Department of the Interior’s decision to remove the exhibit deprives park visitors of a full and accurate understanding of American history.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
6 Mar. 2026
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Sleeping in on weekends can somewhat offset the risk in people who are sleep deprived during the week, but increases the risk in those getting enough sleep.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dispossess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossess. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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