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
And the academics, in turn, disowned the state curriculum guide and created their own materials.
—
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
Civil rights activists were assassinated, beaten, betrayed by friends, tortured in jail and disowned by their families.
—John Blake, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
Despite his regular attempts to disown it, the Ukraine war has very much become Trump’s war on which US credibility now hangs by a thread.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
Other common refrains on their content include Dodger fans disowning them.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for disown
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
Civil rights activists were assassinated, beaten, betrayed by friends, tortured in jail and disowned by their families.
—John Blake, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
Despite his regular attempts to disown it, the Ukraine war has very much become Trump’s war on which US credibility now hangs by a thread.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
Other common refrains on their content include Dodger fans disowning them.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 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 29 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disown
verb
dis·own
(ˈ)dis-ˈōn
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share