dispossessed 1 of 2

Definition of dispossessednext

dispossessed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of dispossess
as in evicted
to end the occupancy or possession of opponents of gentrification claim that the process unfairly dispossesses poorer residents of their long-established homes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dispossessed
Adjective
Conover keeps his readers waiting for too long, almost half the book, before saying anything about how the San Luis Valley came to be a magnet for the dispossessed. Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022 Three days after his 10th birthday, his father, a depressed junkman, killed himself, and the experience of misfortune fueled the young artist’s identification with the dispossessed. Peter Saenger, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2022 Without the voices of the dispossessed, how can there be deconstruction? Audrey Clare Farley, The New Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
Verb
The challenge was to see how many passes each team could complete before they were dispossessed as opponents swarmed all over them. James Pearce, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 He was tackled and dispossessed with the ball on a trajectory to the goal. Monica Alba, NBC news, 24 June 2026 The family owners of Fischer Bücherei were Jews of Hungarian origin, who had been dispossessed of their publishing house by the Nazis before it was returned to them after the war. Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 Kelsy dispossessed San Diego in its defensive third, cut back to evade a defender at the edge of the penalty area, and skipped a shot inside the near post to give the Timbers (3-5-1) a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026 Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and in an instant dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century. Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 Calling his father and uncle gusanos — or worms, a Spanish-language term coined by Castro to denigrate those fleeing the island — the agent seized the bank and, in an instant, dispossessed a family that arrived from Spain in the 16th century. CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026 The growth of colonial Australian society came at the expense of the Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who were often dispossessed of their land, exposed to foreign diseases, and either pushed into marginal areas or forcibly assimilated into European culture. Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026 As Morocco’s indigenous inhabitants, El Hammoumy continued, the Berbers are like other native peoples around the world who have been systematically dispossessed of their lands and heritage for centuries. Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossessed
Adjective
  • On the back of a million-pound investment in 2012, the community has organized to restore life to a deprived area hit hard by austerity.
    Kyle Vanelli, STAT, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Will kids living in deprived areas, without thriving industries, have fewer options?
    Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • That’s partly why the British royal family has recently tried to distance themselves from the disgraced ex-prince, to the point that he was stripped of his titles and evicted from his home at Royal Lodge.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The police report says Brayboy was evicted from the home 10 days earlier, but was allowed to return to care for the dogs.
    Ted Scouten, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The state also provides categorical funding, which supports specific student groups like English learners and economically disadvantaged students, and services like transportation and enhanced security.
    Jason Burns, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The typical victims are old, poor, and socially isolated residents of disadvantaged areas, making heat waves invisible killers of people largely invisible in public life.
    Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • About one-fifth of Florida’s impoverished elderly people live in the county, state records show.
    Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Behind the scenes, this gritty, impoverished circus company wrestles with violence, illness and animal cruelty.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • While in the city, Diana met AIDS patients at a hospital in Harlem, went to the famous toy store FAO Schwarz, visited with underprivileged children, and attended a gala dinner.
    Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 21 July 2026
  • Funds have also been raised to send underprivileged children to different day camps, and a scholarship has been established at her theater group, Lindsey says.
    Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
Adjective
  • The Hersheys chose this mission at a time when caring for orphans and children in destitute families in institutional settings was still the norm.
    Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
  • The workers on the platform were Asian, black, Houma Indian, a few destitute Cadiens.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Adjective
  • Without question, Boutte is a good get for a receiver-needy team.
    Andy Behrens, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Means testing would also target funds to needy families that struggle to matriculate to higher or professional education.
    John Ketcham, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • There are 76 million Americans in this group who are either indigent or children.
    Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
  • All the clients of the Public Defender’s Office are indigent, Fredericksen-Aguilar said, and most cannot afford any substantial bail.
    Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dispossessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossessed. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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