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Dispossess - Meaning, Definition & English Examples

To dispossess means to deprive someone of land, property, or other possessions, often by force or legal means. It implies taking away what someone owns or controls.

dispossess

/ˌdɪs.pəˈzɛs/ /ˌdɪs.pəˈzɛs/

Definition:

To deprive someone of land, property, or other possessions.

Synonyms:

evict, expropriate, oust, divest

Part of Speech:

verb

Antonyms:

provide, endow, restore

Common Collocations:

dispossess tenants, dispossess landowners, dispossess the poor

Derivatives:

dispossession, dispossessed

Usage Tips:

Use "dispossess" when describing legal or forceful removal of property or rights from someone.

Common Phrases:

dispossessed masses, legally dispossess, forcibly dispossess

Etymology:

From Old French "despossesser," meaning to deprive of possession (des- "away" + possesser "to possess").

Examples:

  • 1. The government may dispossess landowners for public projects.
  • 2. Many were dispossessed during the war and lost their homes.
  • 3. The court ruled to dispossess the tenant for unpaid rent.
  • 4. Colonizers often dispossessed indigenous peoples of their ancestral lands.

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