evict

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb evict contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of evict are eject, expel, and oust. While all these words mean "to drive or force out," evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

When is eject a more appropriate choice than evict?

The words eject and evict can be used in similar contexts, but eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

When can expel be used instead of evict?

While in some cases nearly identical to evict, expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

In what contexts can oust take the place of evict?

The words oust and evict are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

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 evict He had been evicted, at last report, from his lodgings. Timothy Crouse, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2025 In May, 2021, riots had erupted in some mixed cities, sparked partly in response to a government effort to evict Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Eyal Press, New Yorker, 9 June 2025 Black people who tried to register to vote lost their jobs or were evicted from homes and farms. Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025 The 45-year-old former hooper recently got evicted from his Los Angeles mansion after failing to make any payments. Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for evict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evict
Verb
  • Home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus called strike three on Rockies outfielder Tyler Freeman, and he immediately got ejected after arguing the call.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025
  • Until 2006, patent holders could presumptively obtain a court injunction that ordered infringers to stop using their invention (akin to a landowner’s legal right to eject trespassers camping on their property).
    Alden Abbott, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Softening those characters for present-day sensibilities banishes what little edge there was and leaves everything feeling over-bright in a restless and relentless production.
    David Benedict, Variety, 24 June 2025
  • Any input would help. – Visiting Accident Dear Visiting: Don’t banish yourself just yet.
    R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • The group of rats that was fed a diet supplemented with chitosan expelled more MPs that any of the other groups.
    Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • Schools can no longer expel students for chronic absences alone; supportive interventions are required.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • In a series of tweets, Charli XCX dismissed the controversy and defended her creative choices.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025
  • The decision dismissed most claims in the lawsuit filed by authors who alleged that their books were used, without permission, to train Anthropic’s Claude AI models.
    Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Despite Adams’ protests and pleas to remain in the U.S. and seek citizenship, she was deported back to Europe in December 1927.
    Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025
  • He was deported on March 15 and was returned on June 6.
    Nate Raymond, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • The term is Albertus’s rather mild moniker for the violent way European settlers seized swaths of the earth, dispossessing and often killing those who already inhabited them.
    Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • There was a pirouette and backheel flick in the 38th minute, which did not lead to much, and a 67th-minute dribble inside off the left flank that only saw him get dispossessed.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated, or disarmed and exiled.
    Yesica Fisch, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
  • Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight (Stallone), just after he is released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Much like the rest of the lineup, Lindor is also chasing pitches outside of the zone.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
  • Until a pack of infected come upon him, chasing him down a winding country road.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Evict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evict. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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