disown

verb

dis·​own (ˌ)dis-ˈōn 

disowned; disowning; disowns

transitive verb

1

: to refuse to acknowledge as one's own

2

a

: to repudiate any connection or identification with

b

: to deny the validity or authority of

disownment

(ˌ)dis-ˈōn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• contradict
• deny
• disaffirm
• disallow
• disavow
• disclaim
• disconfirm
• gainsay
• negate
• negative
• refute
• reject
• repudiate

Examples of disown in a Sentence

Her parents threatened to disown her if she didn't go back to school.

He was disowned for bringing shame to the family.

Recent Examples on the Web

Lady Jessica, Dune Lynch may have all but disowned Dune after battling with studio executives over the film’s final cut, but the sci-fi epic still serves as one of his most dazzling feats of costuming, thanks to the ingenious work of designer Bob Ringwood. —Liam Hess, Vogue, 17 Jan. 2025

Why not simply disown them? Letting Canada annex these blue states would also simplify Trump’s war on undocumented immigrants, since many of them reside in these states. —Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 2 Jan. 2025

Coal industry executives disown him for being an untrustworthy counterparty. —Christopher Helman, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

In doing so, Zuckerberg is implicitly disowning a core part of the history of his own company. —Felix Salmon, Axios, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

disown

verb

dis·​own (ˈ)dis-ˈōn 

: to refuse to accept any longer as one's own : renounce, disclaim