disown

American  

[dis-ohn] / dɪsˈoʊn /

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

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disown British  

/ dɪsˈəʊn /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

• disowner
  noun
• disownment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of disown

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

Explanation

To disown someone is to reject them. If you disown your brother, you refuse to have anything to do with him: not only do you not speak or have contact, but it's as if he's no longer related to you. When one person disowns another, it's because of some terrible argument or deep-rooted conflict. Although it's uncommon to disown another person, when it happens it's usually a family member who's cast off. Your mom might threaten to disown you after you drive her car into the mailbox, but she's probably not serious. Disown takes the root word own, meaning "to have or to hold," and adds the Latin prefix dis, "not" or "do the opposite of."

Example Sentences

Every now and then some disgruntled fan will publicly disown his favorite team, then invite rival teams to suggest why he should support them.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025

“My family would disown me,” he told the network in an email.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 29, 2023

“His view is if it’s good for him at that moment, he’ll do it, and then if something bad happens, he’ll disown any responsibility for it,” the former governor said.

From Washington Times • Nov. 16, 2023

But he may be the first to attempt to disown his immediate predecessors as party leader.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2023

“I ... I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out. . . they would disown me.”

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

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