disown

[dis-ohn]

verb (used with object)

1. to refuse to acknowledge as belonging or pertaining to oneself; deny the ownership of or responsibility for; repudiate; renounce.

   to disown one's heirs; to disown a published statement.

   Synonyms: abjure, reject, disavow, disclaim

disown

/ dɪsˈəʊn /

verb

1. (tr) to deny any connection with; refuse to acknowledge

Other Word Forms

• disownment noun
• disowner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disown¹

First recorded in 1610–20; dis- ¹ + own

Example Sentences

"We disown his actions and we disown what he has done in every single way."

Read more on BBC

Her family tried to persuade her to come back, but when nothing came of it they disowned her, according to SK SOS.

Read more on BBC

In her memoir, Erivo writes at length about her estrangement from her father, who disowned her when she was 16 after an argument in a London train station.

Read more on Salon

"We were still living in a time where if a kid told their parents they were gay in the Midwest or somewhere, they were disowned. New York was filled with the disowned".

Read more on BBC

She writes: “We hadn’t made our record to garner fame and fortune. We made it for the art rats known and unknown, the marginalized, the shunned, the disowned.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• disavow 
• discard 
• disclaim 
• renounce 
• repudiate 
• retract