dispossess
/dɪspəˈzɛs
/verb [with object]
1Deprive (someone) of land, property, or other possessions: they were dispossessed of lands and properties during the Reformation (as plural noun the dispossessed) a champion of the poor and the dispossessed...
- Certainly neither I, nor as far as I know any of my ancestors, ever dispossessed anyone of their land, language or self-esteem or prevented anyone being educated.
- This should entail allocating large tracts of unused state land to landless and dispossessed people.
- Indeed this social breakdown afflicts with equal vehemence those Aboriginal peoples who have never been dispossessed of their lands and who retain their classical traditions, cultures and languages.
Synonyms
divest, strip, rob, cheat out of, do out of, deprive, relieve, bereave
informal diddle out of
archaic reave
dislodge, oust, eject, expel, drive out, evict, turn out, cast out, throw out, throw someone out on their ear, put out in the street, show someone the door;
banish, exile
informal chuck out, kick out, boot out, heave out, bounce, defenestrate
British informal turf out
North American informal give someone the bum's rush
dated out
1.1(In sport) deprive (a player) of the ball: he dispossessed Hendrie and set off on a solo run...
- They soon increased their lead when Matthew Cox dispossessed his opposite winger on the half way line and outpaced the cover in a thrilling run to the line. Hargreaves again converted.
- Vryas gets the ball, but is dispossessed on the edge of the penalty area.
- But Celtic went ahead in the 10th minute and it came after Stuart Duff had been dispossessed by Petrov close to the half-way line.
Origin
Late 15th century: from Old French despossesser, from des- (expressing reversal) + possesser 'possess'.