evict

[ih-vikt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR evict ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to expel (a person, especially a tenant) from land, a building, etc., by legal process, as for nonpayment of rent.

to recover (property, titles, etc.) by virtue of superior legal title.

Origin of evict

1400–50; late Middle English evicten < Late Latin ēvictus having recovered one's property by law, Latin: past participle of ēvincere to overcome, conquer, evince), equivalent to ē- e-¹ + vic- (past participle stem of vincere; see victor) + -tus past participle suffix

Related formse·vic·tion, noune·vic·tor, nounnon·e·vic·tion, nounre·e·vict, verb (used with object)un·e·vict·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for evict

In June, Pakistan launched an all-out military offensive in the region, ostensibly to evict all the militants from the area.
Obama’s Deadly Informants: The Drone Spotters of Pakistan|Umar Farooq, Syed Fakhar Kakakhel|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A California family is struggling to evict their now-fired live-in nanny—and tenancy laws are on her side.
When Mrs. Doubtfire Won’t Leave|Keli Goff|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Police came to evict Mark Kulis—and found a home wired to explode.
When Sovereign Citizens Snap|Caitlin Dickson|January 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tried to evict a guy who hadnt paid his mortgage in a few years.
13 Revelations From Reddit’s ‘Dirty Little Secret’ Thread Exposing Alleged Industry Secrets|Nina Strochlic|August 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Bloomberg is afraid to evict you from the park because he is afraid his cops will hurt you if you resist.
How the Wall Street Protesters Win|Lee Siegel|October 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He never evicts a tenant, nor even threatens to evict those who vote against him.
The Land-War In Ireland (1870)|James Godkin
It was impossible, of course, to evict half of the preachers in the country.
A Short History of Scotland|Andrew Lang
He must evict Zora's tenants as soon as the crops were planted and harvested.
The Quest of the Silver Fleece|W. E. B. Du Bois
Juliettes furniture had just been seized, and her landlord was threatening to evict her.
Juliette Drouet's Love-Letters to Victor Hugo|Louis Guimbaud
If cathedrals may be built, all the more clearly may they be appropriated—if you can convert or evict the dean and chapter.
God and Mr. Wells|William Archer

British Dictionary definitions for evict

evict

verb (tr)

to expel (a tenant) from property by process of law; turn out

to recover (property or the title to property) by judicial process or by virtue of a superior title

Derived Formseviction, nounevictor, nounevictee, noun

Word Origin for evict

C15: from Late Latin ēvincere, from Latin: to vanquish utterly, from vincere to conquer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for evict

mid-15c., "recover (property) by judicial means," from Latin evictus, past participle of evincere "recover property, overcome and expel, conquer," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + vincere "conquer" (see victor). Sense of "expel by legal process" first recorded in English 1530s. Related: Evicted; evicting.

evict

verb (used with object)

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Origin of evict

Examples from the Web for evict

evict

verb (tr)

Word Origin for evict