verb
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to force out of a position or place; supplant or expel
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property law to deprive (a person) of the possession of land
Etymology
Origin of oust
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French ouster “to remove,” Old French oster, from Latin obstāre “to stand in the way, oppose” ( ob- ob- + stāre “to stand ”)
Explanation
A teacher may oust you from class if you are being disruptive, or you might oust your class president from her position if you beat her in the election. To oust is to “expel,” “kick out,” or “remove and replace.” When you oust someone, you are “giving them the boot.” A sports team is ousted from a tournament if they lose an elimination round. Oust often implies both removal and replacement. The automobile, for instance, ousted the horse as the preferred means of travel. Likewise, when a politician ousts someone from office they are taking that person’s place in office. And if you beat the all-time record in a hot-dog eating tournament, then you oust the previous record holder from their position.
Vocabulary lists containing oust
A Long Way Gone
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100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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This Week in Words: November 10 - 16, 2018
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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.
His first opportunity to lead Plaid Cymru came in 2018, amid rumours of attempts to oust the then leader, Leanne Wood.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
For those who don’t remember or never knew what happened, he was the 14-year-old freshman who exposed on a social media post an attempt to oust veteran head coach Gary Parcell.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Musk, 54, even filed a lawsuit seeking to oust 41-year-old Altman as OpenAI chief executive.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
And during oral arguments in January, both the liberal and conservative flanks of the court expressed doubts in the government’s claim that Trump could oust Cook on the basis of an unproven allegation.
From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026
I thanked the assembled nations for exerting pressure on South Africa, citing in particular Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanganyika, who spearheaded the successful drive to oust South Africa from the British Commonwealth.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
