Synonym Chooser

How does the verb oust contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of oust are eject, evict, and expel. While all these words mean "to drive or force out," oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

When would eject be a good substitute for oust?

The words eject and oust can be used in similar contexts, but eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

In what contexts can evict take the place of oust?

The synonyms evict and oust are sometimes interchangeable, but evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

When might expel be a better fit than oust?

While the synonyms expel and oust are close in meaning, expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of oust He was first elected in 2002, ousting the Democratic House majority whip at the time. Mark Harris, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2024 The rebels from the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham who ousted President Bashar al-Assad and now control much of Syria are led by Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a former senior al-Qaida militant. Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024 Weiner hasn’t held public office since 2011, when he was ousted from his congressional seat because of a sexting scandal involving multiple women, including a minor. Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 10 Dec. 2024 Like with Collins, Democrats had optimism about ousting Tillis in 2020, but their candidate fell short by less than 2 points. Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 29 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for oust 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oust
Verb
  • Volcanic materials—including smoldering rocks, lava, and hot, thumb-sized gravel and ash—were ejected up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater on November 8, according to Hadi Wijaya.
    Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Delay was written on a live round that was not fired but ejected, apparently when the shooter was clearing a jam.
    Chris Isidore, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • National News Florida woman charged with threatening health insurance company with ‘delay, deny, depose’ A Florida woman has been charged with threatening her health insurance provider during a phone...
    The Denver Post, The Denver Post, 15 Dec. 2024
  • And from a humanitarian perspective, one of the very worst butchers in recent global history has been deposed.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • That campaign, started during Barack Obama’s presidency, included battles in Mosul, where an effort to evict approximately 5,000 ISIS fighters in the city led to perhaps 10,000 civilian deaths and the destruction of the city.
    Eugene Kontorovich, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2024
  • In 2009, Atherton and her roommate had just been evicted from their home.
    Autumn Barnes, NPR, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Egerton’s New York City outing with Bennet precedes the release of his latest movie: Carry-On, debuting on Netflix on Dec. 13.
    Jack Smart, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Things take a twist when her partner, also an agent, gets outed by Russian intelligence and vanishes mysteriously.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Huffman fired the starting gun last month on a series of challenges to septuagenarian committee leaders by launching an insurgent bid to topple incumbent ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.).
    Andrew Solender, Axios, 16 Dec. 2024
  • Photos of the week In pictures: Syrian rebels topple Assad regime 1 of 52 Check out more images, curated by CNN Photos.
    Andrew Torgan, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Jordan and her siblings were routinely physically, verbally and mentally abused by their parents, who reportedly chained their children to their beds and deprived them of food and the ability to exercise.
    Nicholas Rice, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024
  • More concerning for Washington and Tokyo, however, is that the potential replacement of Mr. Yoon would deprive the tripartite alliance of a powerful advocate.
    Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The pet camera shows Dotty first sitting on her cot, with her head plopped down in disbelief that she'd been banished.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
  • The rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was sentenced to time served and probation, and banished from metro Atlanta for 10 years.
    Kristal Dixon, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • This new Speedmaster Pilot, priced at $9,500 in the US and £8,900 in the UK, might just unseat both as the most exciting Speedmaster of 2024.
    Chris Hall, WIRED, 10 Dec. 2024
  • At those estimates, the follow-up to 2021’s Pushpa – The Rise unseats the previous record-holder for top India and global bows, 2017’s Baahubali: The Conclusion.
    Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 8 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near oust

Cite this Entry

“Oust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oust. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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