disinvest

American  

[dis-in-vest] / ˌdɪs ɪnˈvɛst /

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in disinvestment.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to subject (capital goods) to disinvestment.

disinvest British  

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈvɛst /

verb

1. (usually foll by in) to remove investment (from)

2. (intr) to reduce the capital stock of an economy or enterprise, as by not replacing obsolete machinery

---

Other Word Forms

• disinvestment noun

Etymology

Origin of disinvest

First recorded in 1620–30; dis- ¹ + invest

Example Sentences

Chinese regulators framed it as a way to diversify market risk without giving the banks any specific time or size to disinvest, the story mentioned.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

“What I fear is if our government agencies bail on transit, and we choose to disinvest from operations there, riders don’t view transit as being a reliable option anymore,” Lee said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2023

“If you disinvest in it, then people won’t use it. But if you invest in it, arguably more people will use it because it actually becomes a service that’s usable.”

From Washington Times • Jun. 9, 2023

Only in higher education can states disinvest with impunity.

From Slate • Sep. 25, 2022

When asked how to decrease health disparities, Goodman says, “Make every community a healthy place to live. We have healthy communities in this country. We’ve just chosen to systematically disinvest in certain ones.”

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2020