divest
Americanverb (used with object)
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to strip of clothing, ornament, etc..
The wind divested the trees of their leaves.
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to strip or deprive (someone or something), especially of property or rights; dispossess.
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to rid of or free from.
He divested himself of all responsibility for the decision.
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Law. to take away or alienate (property, rights, etc.).
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Commerce.
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to sell off.
to divest holdings.
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to rid of through sale.
The corporation divested itself of its subsidiaries.
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verb
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to strip (of clothes)
to divest oneself of one's coat
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to deprive or dispossess
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property law to take away an estate or interest in property vested (in a person)
Synonym Usage
See strip 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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divestsimple
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divestssimple
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have divestedperfect
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has divestedperfect
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am divestingprogressive
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are divestingprogressive
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is divestingprogressive
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have been divestingperfect progressive
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has been divestingperfect progressive
Past
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divestedsimple
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had divestedperfect
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was divestingprogressive
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were divestingprogressive
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had been divestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of divest
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Medieval Latin dīvestīre, equivalent to dī- di- 2 + vestīre “to dress”; see vest
Explanation
It could be your wine portfolio, your stake in a mining company, or even the extra coats that are taking up space in your closet. Whatever it is, when you divest something, you get rid of it. Divest is sort of a fancy way to say “dispose of.” It’s often used in a business context to describe companies or governments that divest some of their holdings by selling them off. It can also be used in the sense of taking something away from someone. For example if your boss becomes insane and power mad, his handlers may divest him of his title, meaning his position is taken away from him.
Vocabulary lists containing divest
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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Good Riddance
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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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.
“If it complies with state law, the matter goes forward. If not, they’re informed they’re going to have to divest of the land.”
From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2022
“Can we outsource the electricity? Can we can we sell the island? You know, or divest of that asset?”
From Slate • Jul. 11, 2020
Our farmers will need to divest of inefficient hedgerows, boundary trees and three-metre field margins – museum pieces all.
From The Guardian • Feb. 1, 2020
After its former executives were found guilty, Insys agreed to pay $225 million to settle federal fraud charges and to divest of Subsys, and then it filed for bankruptcy.
From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2020
Mr. Appin concluded his remarkable statement in a voice which he strove to divest of a triumphant inflection.
From The Chronicles of Clovis by Saki
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.
