Synonyms of oust

oust

verb

ˈau̇st 

1

as in to eject

to drive or force out

she was ousted from her job after it was proven she'd been pilfering company supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eject
• out
• banish
• dismiss
• chase
• expel
• evict
• remove
• cast out
• rout
• extrude
• kick out
• sack
• run off
• drum (out)
• boot (out)
• throw out
• turn out
• turf (out)
• dispossess
• bounce
• ostracize
• send packing
• deport
• give one the gate
• fire
• displace
• shut out
• exile
• read out
• can
• expatriate
• terminate
• retire
• deforce
• pink-slip
• ax
• defenestrate
• muster out
• discharge
• release
• cashier

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• take
• receive
• accept
• admit
• take in
• welcome
• entertain
• shelter
• house
• harbor
• lodge

2

as in to depose

to remove from a position of prominence or power (as a throne)

the people finally rose up and ousted the corrupt dictator

Synonyms & Similar Words

• depose
• topple
• unseat
• dethrone
• sack
• dismiss
• deprive
• displace
• banish
• unmake
• defrock
• remove
• overthrow
• usurp
• fire
• can
• uncrown
• eject
• supplant
• unthrone
• expel
• subvert
• retire
• cast out
• muster out
• rout
• extrude
• chase
• discharge
• run off
• boot (out)
• drum (out)
• throw out
• cashier
• bounce

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crown
• initiate
• install
• appoint
• invest
• elect
• enthrone
• inaugurate
• designate
• baptize
• throne
• induct
• instate

3

as in to evict

to end the occupancy or possession of

the squatters were forcibly ousted from the abandoned building

Synonyms & Similar Words

• evict
• deprive
• dispossess
• divest
• expropriate
• strip
• usurp
• disinherit
• deforce
• annex
• impound
• commandeer
• seize
• disfurnish
• appropriate
• bereave
• take over

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

Recent Examples of oust

After hundreds of thousands of opposition protesters took to the streets in April 2002, Chavez was briefly ousted in a coup by dissident military officers and opposition figures, who installed a new president, businessman Pedro Carmona. —James Trapani, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2026

Indeed, many of the Islamic revolutionary leaders that ousted the Shah in 1979 had ties with Palestinian groups. —Kamran Talattof, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026

Small dueling rallies formed outside the federal courthouse in New York City where ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arraigned Monday. —Mahsa Saeidi, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026

After being read a summary of the charging documents against him, ousted Venezuelan leader Maduro pleaded not guilty in federal court in New York. —Elena Giuliano, NBC news, 5 Jan. 2026