disown
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disownsimple
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disownssimple
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have disownedperfect
-
has disownedperfect
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am disowningprogressive
-
are disowningprogressive
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is disowningprogressive
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have been disowningperfect progressive
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has been disowningperfect progressive
Past
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disownedsimple
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had disownedperfect
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was disowningprogressive
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were disowningprogressive
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had been disowningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disown
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."
Vocabulary lists containing disown
The Prince and the Dressmaker
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Ship Breaker
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So Far from the Bamboo Grove
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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.
“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
In a time where I thought that my whole family would disown me, they didn’t.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2023
“At one point, I had to disown my family to go off and live my own life, too. I understand why you need to do the same.”
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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.
