oust

verb

ˈau̇st 

ousted; ousting; ousts

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove from or dispossess of property or position by legal action, by force, or by the compulsion of necessity

The rebels ousted the dictator from power.

b

: to take away (something, such as a right or authority) : bar, remove

The states do not like attempts by Congress to oust their jurisdiction.

2

: to take the place of : supplant

must be careful that quantity does not oust quality

—R. V. Williams

Synonyms

• banish
• boot (out)
• bounce
• cast out
• chase
• dismiss
• drum (out)
• eject
• expel
• extrude
• kick out
• out
• rout
• run off
• throw out
• turf (out) [chiefly British]
• turn out

Choose the Right Synonym for oust

eject, expel, oust, evict mean to drive or force out.

eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

Examples of oust in a Sentence

The rebels ousted the dictator from power.

Large national banks are ousting local banks in many communities.

Recent Examples on the Web

Southlake Carroll scores late to oust Mansfield The Southlake Carroll and Mansfield boys soccer teams played 57 minutes of scoreless soccer, but the Dragons scored late goals to down the Tigers 3-0 in a Class 6A Division 2 bi-district match on Friday, March 21 at Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium. —Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2025

His journey—from a humble garage startup to being ousted from Apple, only to return and transform it into one of the most valuable companies in history—is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling. —Brent Gleeson, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Read more: Education Dept. layoffs by the numbers: Which staff were ousted, where cuts hit hardest The Education Department declined to provide a breakdown of personnel laid off from the Federal Student Aid office. —Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025

And the anti-government protest movement is gaining steam again as seen in widespread protests in Israeli cities against both the resumption of fighting in Gaza and the attempt to oust security chief Ronen Bar. —Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French oster, ouster to take off, remove, oust, from Late Latin obstare to ward off, from Latin, to stand in the way, from ob- in the way + stare to stand — more at ob-, stand

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for oust

• doused
• faust
• joust

Kids Definition

oust

verb

ˈau̇st 

: to force or drive out (as from office or from possession of something)