as in evicting
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
Relevance
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 dispossessing
How a state comes to control another land and its people, sometimes slowly dispossessing the natives of their lands, sometimes laying waste to them, sometimes committing genocide.
—
Philip Metres
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Philip Metres
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossessing
Verb
-
Just months into the pandemic, Matthew Haines, like landlords across the country, learned he was barred from evicting tenants who didn’t pay their rent under a federal eviction moratoriumthat lasted almost a year — costing him and his investors over $1 million.—
Michael Casey,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
-
Prasad, at the time of the filing, claimed that the property owner had signed a lease that prevents them from evicting the campus.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Federal prosecutors later charged Russell with depriving Bils of his rights under color of law and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
These are fast disappearing, however, as humans drain them for development, dredge canals in them for the oil and gas industry and construct river levees, depriving them of the sediments that stop them being submerged.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
Soon, the cold winds of winter began to blow, stripping the trees bare.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
Framing a layoff as a matter of adjusting resources—versus stripping a person of their livelihood—can make that tough call easier to stomach.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
In his view, the administration is effectively expropriating the decision-making power of owners and handing it to the state.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dispossessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossessing. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
