oust
Americanverb (used with object)
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ousts,
present (3rd person singular)
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ousted,
past participle, past
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ousting
present participle
verb
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to force out of a position or place; supplant or expel
-
property law to deprive (a person) of the possession of land
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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oustsimple
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oustssimple
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have oustedperfect
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has oustedperfect
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am oustingprogressive
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are oustingprogressive
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is oustingprogressive
-
have been oustingperfect progressive
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has been oustingperfect progressive
Past
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oustedsimple
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had oustedperfect
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was oustingprogressive
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were oustingprogressive
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had been oustingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of oust
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French ouster “to remove,” Old French oster, from Latin obstāre “to stand in the way, oppose” ( ob- ob- + stāre “to stand ”)
Explanation
A teacher may oust you from class if you are being disruptive, or you might oust your class president from her position if you beat her in the election. To oust is to “expel,” “kick out,” or “remove and replace.” When you oust someone, you are “giving them the boot.” A sports team is ousted from a tournament if they lose an elimination round. Oust often implies both removal and replacement. The automobile, for instance, ousted the horse as the preferred means of travel. Likewise, when a politician ousts someone from office they are taking that person’s place in office. And if you beat the all-time record in a hot-dog eating tournament, then you oust the previous record holder from their position.
Vocabulary lists containing oust
A Long Way Gone
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This Week in Words: November 10 - 16, 2018
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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.
See Examples For:
Earlier this year, Musk called for Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary to be fired and threatened to buy the discount airline in order to oust him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
News that it was preparing criminal legal proceedings was viewed as a dramatic escalation, and evidence that it was not backing down in its determination to oust Infantino.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
As a result, the White House swiftly moved to try again to oust her.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Espinoza was fired last week after Congress voted to oust him for failing to appear before lawmakers for questions about his handling of the economy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Reiterating that police had framed him as a part of a drive to oust Communists from Chicago, Erlone demanded that the charges upon which he had been originally held be made public.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Plus, defense contractor L3Harris Technologies ousts its CEO following an investigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Whether with Cal, the Rams or the Lions, quarterback Jared Goff has proven to be the impetus behind bad teams turning great as Detroit ousts Rams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2024
GameStop ousts its C.E.O. and elevates its top shareholder.
From New York Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
If the NFL ousts Snyder — and takes control of the team — would that re-open the door for Bezos?
From Washington Times ● Feb. 26, 2023
And finally, in sympathy with the great European upheaval, in sympathy with the great natural law of change, Labour ousts both, single-eyed Labour, and down goes England, crumbling into the dust!—Let us lunch, my friends.
From The Great Prince Shan by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began in 2014, when the Houthis ousted the internationally-recognised government from Sanaa.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
This is the latest signal of warming relations between Washington and Caracas after the United States ousted longtime leader Nicolas Maduro in a military operation in January.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
The site also has hosted bets on the federal prosecution of Sean “Diddy” Combs and the government’s current case against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
That is not to say Clayton, who at 25 became the youngest state party chair in the country in 2023 when she ousted an establishment-backed incumbent, has not at times been disappointed.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
Soon, his own forces deserted him and he was ousted in a coup in early March.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
After ousting Alcaraz, Shelton is now the second-highest ranked player remaining in the draw after world number two Alexander Zverev.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
On Tuesday, two progressive congressional candidates in Michigan beat out establishment Democrats in House races — in one case, ousting an incumbent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The outage deepens a pre-existing economic headache for Magyar, who is under pressure to reduce a fiscal deficit and boost growth after ousting long-serving premier Viktor Orbán in April.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Brazilian Joao Havelange was the last person to unseat a Fifa president in an election, ousting Sir Stanley Rous in 1974.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The sandblasters have been here, the skylight people; inside, the benjamina trees and tropical climbers have taken over, ousting the mangy African violets once nurtured on kitchen windowsills.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
