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

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

But uncertainty surrounds the royal succession, with no public announcement of an heir to the current king -- among his seven children, four have been officially disowned.

Read more on Barron's

Yet the ghost of Liz Truss lingers: despite their best efforts to politely disown her, the Conservatives' opponents will probably never lose their appetite for reminding voters of the calamity of her brief premiership.

Read more on BBC

In court hearings, victims detailed how they had lost jobs, been evicted, dropped out of school or been disowned by friends and family.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That's not to say that Trump has actually disowned the richest man in the world.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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