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 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 Her father, Andrew, was stripped of his titles and evicted from his home at Royal Lodge, then arrested for suspicion of misconduct in public office. Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 4 May 2026 There would be no ability to evict people and housing would be affordable. Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 3 May 2026 Two months behind on rent, they would have been evicted if not for the moratorium. Michael Casey, Fortune, 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
  • He was stripped of all his honors and titles and banished from public view by the royal family after years of scandal over his money woes and links to questionable characters, including Epstein.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
  • After one mistake too many and a little Machiavellian interference courtesy of his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor is stripped of his divine powers and banished to Earth, sentenced to live among the rest of us unworthy mortals.
    Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 6 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
  • Then in September, Newsom's Legal Affairs Secretary David Sapp sent an email to JUSD administrators on what appeared to include a copy of the state's motion to dismiss that lawsuit, as seen in public records obtained by Fox News Digital.
    Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
  • Curiel also declined to dismiss causes of action against three of the deputy’s supervisors, who are accused of knowing the female deputy failed to return to the scene and had dissuaded Quinones from providing assistance.
    City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • Villaraigosa countered that the law allows for violent criminals to be deported and that thousands have been by state and local law enforcement agencies.
    Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
  • Their parents, Isidoro González Avilés and Norma Anabel Ramírez Amaya, were living in Mexico at the time after being deported several years back.
    Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 7 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
  • But studies like this can influence whether patients feel like hope is worth chasing.
    Kathi Rigby, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026
  • Reporters soon descended, leading to subsequent lore of a sort of revolt, with students, particularly varsity athletes, chasing reporters away, even — as legend has it — locking some in the music room.
    Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Evict.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evict. Accessed 15 May. 2026.

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