divest

verb

di·​vest dī-ˈvest How to pronounce divest (audio)
də-
divested; divesting; divests

transitive verb

1
a
: to deprive or dispossess especially of property, authority, or title
divesting assets to raise capital
was divested of his rights
divesting herself of all her worldly possessions
encouraged the university to divest itself from fossil fuels
b
: to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment
Christmas trees divested of their ornaments
c
: rid, free
2
: to take away from a person
divestment noun

Did you know?

The vest in divest is a close relation of the kind found in closets—its origin is Latin vestis meaning “clothing, garment.” (Vest has the same source and first appeared in English as a verb in the 15th century meaning “to put on garments or vestments.”) Divest today mostly appears in legal and business contexts about a formal removal or loss of something of value; assets that are divested are sold or given away; someone divested of a right officially loses that right. The word’s first late 16th century use, however, was more intimately related to its roots: divest was then used to mean “to undress or strip especially of clothing, ornament, or equipment.” But broader application of divest soon followed. In Shakespeare’s Henry V, the French King Charles is told via messenger that England’s King Henry “wills you, in the name of God Almighty, / That you divest yourself, and lay apart / ... the crown / And all wide-stretched honours that pertain ...”

Examples of divest in a Sentence

The company is divesting 8 of its 20 stores. We may have to divest assets to raise capital.
Recent Examples on the Web Last week the House passed a bill requiring TikTok to divest from its Chinese owner or face removal from the U.S. app stores. CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 In a report, the short-seller alleged that the Polish company — one of the biggest clothing retailers in eastern Europe — hasn’t fully divested its Russia business, and has been selling its goods through third parties. Konrad Krasuski, Fortune Europe, 15 Mar. 2024 The measure would require TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to divest its U.S. subsidiary within six months of the law taking effect. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 And if the bill becomes law, the question remains whether an American buyer would step in to save the day (if ByteDance is willing to divest the popular platform). Clare Duffy, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 This week—possibly even Wednesday—the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that will require TikTok to divest from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or else be forbidden in the United States. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 Previously, Kroger had announced in September a $2.3 billion proposals to divest over 400 stores to Piggly Wiggly operator and franchiser C&S Wholesale Grocers in an attempt to mitigate antitrust concerns. Mark Faithfull, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Separately, the secretive and powerful Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has been reviewing the app for years while trying unsuccessfully to force TikTok ownership to divest from its parent company. Will Weissert and Zeke Miller, Quartz, 12 Feb. 2024 The store was divested in 2015 by Albertsons in a merger with Safeway. Samantha Gowen, Orange County Register, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'divest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of devest

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of divest was in 1623

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Dictionary Entries Near divest

Cite this Entry

“Divest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divest. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

divest

verb
di·​vest dī-ˈvest How to pronounce divest (audio)
də-
: to take something off or away from
divested myself of my heavy backpack

Legal Definition

divest

transitive verb
di·​vest dī-ˈvest, də- How to pronounce divest (audio)
: to deprive or dispossess (oneself) of property through divestiture
divestment noun
Etymology

Anglo-French devestir, literally, to undress, from Old French desvestir, from de(s)-, prefix marking reversal + vestir to dress, from Latin vestire

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