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 Sandringham Estate, about 100 miles north of London, after he was evicted from his longtime home near Windsor Castle following revelations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026 Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, the younger brother of King Charles III, moved to the king’s private Sandringham Estate, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of London, after he was evicted from his longtime home near Windsor Castle following revelations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. ABC News, 8 May 2026 The events of the Clearances catalyze the action in this novel, which begins with John, a Presbyterian minister, having accepted a commission to sail to a remote island and evict its last tenant. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 May 2026 There would be no ability to evict people and housing would be affordable. Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 3 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for evict
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evict
Verb
  • Victor Wembanyama reacts after he was ejected for a flagrant foul during the first half of Game 4 in Minneapolis, Sunday, May 10, 2026.
    CBS News, CBS News, 12 May 2026
  • The San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves are tied 2-2, and everyone will be watching to see how Victor Wembanyama responds after being ejected in the second quarter of Game 4.
    Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • Under the cover of darkness, the Traitors murder the Faithful one by one in a treacherous spree while the Faithful try to uncover the Traitors and banish them from the game.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 11 May 2026
  • Latz has picked up the past four saves for Texas, banishing Jakob Junis to a supporting role.
    Andy Behrens, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Verb
  • When needed, the liquid is expelled through a pair of small structures near the head (oral papillae) in two rapid jets.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
  • What drives an eruption to switch from expelling oozing lava to blasting ash and rock into the sky?
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 8 May 2026
Verb
  • The court recommended that the petition be dismissed, and that the organizations be given one month to submit the employee lists.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
  • Even the foundations of today’s artificial intelligence boom were laid by the NSF in the 1980s and 1990s, when neural networks were a backwater dismissed by mainstream computer science.
    Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • There’s little incentive to report such incidents, as Jordanian authorities regularly round up and deport people who work without permits.
    Annie Hylton, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
  • She was deported in September 1943 by cattle train.
    Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • 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, 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, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young boys gradually become feral and sadistic when trapped on an island together, and in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero magically shipwrecks his brother and his allies so that they will all be exiled together under his watch.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
  • Indeed, Dante was exiled after a sham trial convicting him of corruption.
    René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • Andrew Benintendi’s leadoff, solo blast in the sixth that chased Taillon was another fastball on the outer edge of the zone.
    Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
  • Ocelli was chasing history, too.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 17 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Evict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evict. Accessed 18 May. 2026.

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