divest

American  

[dih-vest, dahy-] / dɪˈvɛst, daɪ- /

verb (used with object)

• divests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• divested,
  past participle,  past
• divesting
  present participle

1. to strip of clothing, ornament, etc..

   The wind divested the trees of their leaves.

   Synonyms:

   denude, unclothe

2. to strip or deprive (someone or something), especially of property or rights; dispossess.

3. to rid of or free from.

   He divested himself of all responsibility for the decision.

4. Law. to take away or alienate (property, rights, etc.).

5. Commerce.

   1. to sell off.

      to divest holdings.

   2. to rid of through sale.

      The corporation divested itself of its subsidiaries.

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divest British  

/ daɪˈvɛst /

verb

1. to strip (of clothes)

   to divest oneself of one's coat

2. to deprive or dispossess

3. property law to take away an estate or interest in property vested (in a person)

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Synonym Usage

See strip ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• divestiture
  noun
• divestible
  adjective
• undivested
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• divesting
  present
• divested
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• divest
  simple
• divests
  simple
• have divested
  perfect
• has divested
  perfect
• am divesting
  progressive
• are divesting
  progressive
• is divesting
  progressive
• have been divesting
  perfect progressive
• has been divesting
  perfect progressive

Past

• divested
  simple
• had divested
  perfect
• was divesting
  progressive
• were divesting
  progressive
• had been divesting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will divest
  simple
• will have divested
  perfect
• will be divesting
  progressive
• will have been divesting
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

divest divests divested divesting

Sacks held his initial role as a special government employee, which meant the Office of Government Ethics required his venture firm to divest some, but not all, of its AI holdings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Boeing announced an agreement Monday to divest its air taxi and two other technology ventures to Archer Aviation for a stake in the startup.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Before assuming his new role, Berg must divest his ownership interest in LAFC.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Last week, Cracker Barrel said it would divest itself from its Maple Street Biscuit Co. business, a plank of Biglari’s activist campaign with the company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

She saw him signal to Jesper and Big Bolliger to divest themselves of weapons.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

The certifying official notes that the filer “will be in compliance” only “once the filer divests these assets.”

From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026

The Office of Government Ethics conditionally certified Warsh’s preconfirmation filing, saying he’ll be in compliance after he divests certain holdings, which Warsh has agreed to do if confirmed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

Illumina must “restore the situation prevailing before” the acquisition, regulators said, and how Illumina divests itself of Grail also needs EU approval.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

The group divests Winterthur to French insurer AXA.

From Reuters ● Oct. 27, 2022

She drew the pin from her hat and silently laid it on the table, and in this gesture was something of the resolution of the warrior who divests himself of his cumbering plumed helmet.

From The Tyranny of the Dark by Hamlin Garland

The overwhelming majority of concerns end in negotiated fixes: a divested subsidiary, a security agreement, more information-sharing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

The White House says he has divested from World Liberty and follows all applicable laws.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

There are no indicators as to why Guggenheim Partners divested from GEO Group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Since you bring it up: There is a five-year Medicaid look-back period for the program to review whether an individual has divested themselves of assets in order to qualify for benefits.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

James had reappeared; he had divested himself of his trunk, owl, and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

GameStop attributed the revenue decline to lapping the Nintendo Switch 2 launch and store closures from divesting its France operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

DCC is divesting non-energy units as part of a strategy to focus on its energy business and rebrand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

By divesting the rest of the struggling division, Yum!

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Asked about divesting from fossil fuels, Kounalakis said her approach would be to “lean in” to clean investments.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Here Mr. Wopsle was divesting himself of his Danish garments, and here there was just room for us to look at him over one another’s shoulders, by keeping the packing-case door, or lid, wide open.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Related Words

• bankrupt
• deprive
• dismantle
• rob
• unload