disown
verb
dis·own
(ˌ)dis-ˈōn 
disowned; disowning; disowns
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
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
During the clash, the university functionally disowned its students.
—
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
For example, Min avoids coming out to his grandmother and grandfather for fear of being disowned.
—Abigail Lee, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025
Some of them refused to disown their Communist ideology, in part because doing so would have jeopardized their families in the North.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
The role of vandalism may be different in each situation, but it should not be disowned outright.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disown
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Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
For example, Min avoids coming out to his grandmother and grandfather for fear of being disowned.
—Abigail Lee, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025
Some of them refused to disown their Communist ideology, in part because doing so would have jeopardized their families in the North.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
The role of vandalism may be different in each situation, but it should not be disowned outright.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disown
Cite this Entry
“Disown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disown. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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disown
verb
dis·own
(ˈ)dis-ˈōn
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