Definition of oustnext

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb oust contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of oust are eject, evict, and expel. While all these words mean "to drive or force out," oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

When would eject be a good substitute for oust?

The words eject and oust 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

In what contexts can evict take the place of oust?

The synonyms evict and oust are sometimes interchangeable, but evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

When might expel be a better fit than oust?

While the synonyms expel and oust are close in meaning, expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

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 oust Trump won a commanding victory in Doral two years ago thanks to his promise to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. — Teo Armus, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026 In a setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his main rival has been tasked with forming the next Israeli government, placing him one step closer to ousting Israel’s longest-serving leader, even as the path remains complicated. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2026 Democrat James Talarico crushed Paxton by 12 points to break a 38-year Democratic Senate drought, while Gina Hinojosa ousted Greg Abbott from the governor’s mansion. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 7 Nov. 2026 The last president ousted from office was Fernando Lugo in 2012. — Ava Berger, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oust
Verb
  • Early exit Maryland defensive back Dontay Joyner took another twist Saturday when he was ejected for a flagrant personal foul just 96 seconds into the game.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Last month, a 42-year-old man fell to his death at Six Flags Over Georgia after being ejected from a roller coaster.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • The erstwhile king of clay, nine-time champion Rafael Nadal, had been deposed in the quarterfinal, and the man who had dished out that comprehensive defeat, Novak Djokovic, would assume the throne.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Texas judge orders depositions Late Tuesday afternoon, a Travis County judge ruled that the organization featured in the flyers – the Transgender Education Network of Texas – can depose two companies.
    — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Now evicted from her West Wing corner office, with the president’s agenda in tatters, Wiles has learned that fealty to Trump almost always ends badly.
    — Chris Whipple, Vanity Fair, 10 Nov. 2026
  • In 2024, she and her young daughter were evicted from their apartment.
    — Jenny Abamu, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Raffles Jaipur The second Raffles outing in India, after Udaipur, Raffles Jaipur offers an intimate, contemporary take on palace living, drawing design cues from the queen’s quarters of Jaipur’s royal residences.
    — Shalbha Sarda, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2026
  • After Meta was outed as the company behind the data center, the social media giant and Piqua government officials said the project would bring economic investment to the region.
    — Naomi Nix, Time, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • To punch a ticket to Saturday’s title game, Southwest Christian toppled district foe and reigning champion Fort Worth All Saints (17-11, 6-4) in three sets.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The daily painting effort started almost immediately after the Students’ List movement toppled former President Aleksandar Vucic ’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Cutting hostas down in the fall deprives them of winter coverage to prevent predators, like birds and frogs, from attacking them, Ballato says.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The torture, in part, included depriving Gabriel of food, beating him, forcing him to eat cat feces and locking him alone in a cabinet with a sock shoved inside his mouth.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • After contracting the plague, he was banished to a cave, where a dog brought him bread and healed his wounds by licking them.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Since nobody was banished, host Alan Cumming then forced the contestants back to the Roundtable the very next morning, and this time the table followed Victor’s lead and banished Tomica by a 10-2 vote.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Angela Gonzales-Torres, a fellow Democrat who started her campaign to unseat Gomez long before the ethics inquiry, said the controversy surrounding the congressman became an important factor for voters in the closing stretch.
    — Anna Liss-Roy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Three incumbents appear poised to retake their seats on the Laguna Beach City Council dais after six challengers failed to unseat them.
    — Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Oust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oust. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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