evict
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to expel (a person, especially a tenant) from land, a building, etc., by legal process, as for nonpayment of rent.
- Synonyms:
- dislodge, dispossess, remove, eject
-
to throw or force out, as from a place, organization, or position.
He was evicted from office by a populist revolution.
-
to recover (property, titles, etc.) by virtue of superior legal title.
verb
-
to expel (a tenant) from property by process of law; turn out
-
to recover (property or the title to property) by judicial process or by virtue of a superior title
Other Word Forms
- evictee noun
- eviction noun
- evictor noun
- reevict verb (used with object)
- unevicted adjective
Etymology
Origin of evict
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English evicten, from Late Latin ēvictus “having recovered one's property by law,” Latin: past participle of ēvincere “to overcome, conquer, evince,” equivalent to ē- “from, out of; thoroughly” + vic- (past participle stem of vincere “to conquer”) + -tus past participle suffix; evince, e- 1, victor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Mr. Glover was essentially trying to evict Jane Doe from his home without notice or warning of any kind,” according to the lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
In East Corinth: For “Beetlejuice,” the movie studio built the facade of a house where Michael Keaton’s character had to evict the newlydeads played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
If this were a tenant whom you didn’t know, you would evict them and pull your hair out over how anyone could feel so entitled as to take something for nothing.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 6, 2026
Perhaps that’s because state and city laws make it difficult to evict deadbeats.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
Good thing I’d bought kerosene; I could soak Jim’s hat in it and evict all the bedbug roomers.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
