evict

Definition of evictnext

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 Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, moved to the king’s private estate in Norfolk after he was evicted from his longtime home near the castle this month. Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026 Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned 66 on Thursday, moved to his brother King Charles III’s estate in Norfolk after he was evicted from his longtime home near Windsor Castle earlier this month. Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026 Andrew is evicted from Royal Lodge. Emma Banks, InStyle, 19 Feb. 2026 King Charles initiated the process of stripping his brother of his royal titles in October, and evicted him from his royal mansion in February. Graham Kates, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for evict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evict
Verb
  • Canada’s Tom Wilson and French player Pierre Crinon were ejected for fighting in Canada’s win on Sunday.
    Fernanda Figueroa, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
  • The 39-year-old actor was ejected from a Royal Street business after causing a disturbance, according to police.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The law banished tests in Spanish and Creole.
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
  • Anderson suspected Rausch was a traitor and conspired with Lipinski to gather votes to banish him.
    Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Palestinian citizens of Israel are descendants of those who were not expelled or forced to flee their homes when Israel was established in 1948.
    Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Others expel water from their cells to prevent the freeze-thaw cycle from bursting cell walls.
    Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Marty Singer, attorney for the spouses at the time, dismissed the controversy.
    Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
  • Yesterday, Judge Aran Subramanian dismissed some portions of the suit but allowed other claims to proceed in the DOJ’s efforts to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
    Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • They could not be deported to Cuba, because the regime in Havana would not take them.
    Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
  • If none of those places agree to take them, they can be deported to any other country that accepts the person.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Fernandez dispossessed Mikkel Damsgaard in midfield and Chelsea attacked at speed down the right.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Black people and other non-white South Africans were displaced and dispossessed.
    Joe Hernandez, NPR, 20 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • Advertisement But pro-democracy figures have argued that local governance has grown increasingly aligned with the mainland as political dissidents have either been jailed or exiled, organizations have disbanded, and a free press dismantled.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • When the carloads of masked men showed up outside, these strangers chased them away with whistles.
    Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 22 Feb. 2026
  • This sweet little cabin is the perfect place to practice hygge in the winter to chase off the cold-weather blues.
    Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Evict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evict. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on evict

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