oust
Americanverb (used with object)
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ousts,
present (3rd person singular)
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ousted,
past participle, past
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ousting
present participle
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
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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oustsimple
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oustssimple
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have oustedperfect
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has oustedperfect
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am oustingprogressive
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are oustingprogressive
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is oustingprogressive
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have been oustingperfect progressive
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has been oustingperfect progressive
Past
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oustedsimple
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had oustedperfect
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was oustingprogressive
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were oustingprogressive
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had been oustingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
News that it was preparing criminal legal proceedings was viewed as a dramatic escalation, and evidence that it was not backing down in its determination to oust Infantino.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
As a result, the White House swiftly moved to try again to oust her.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
On Monday, Chen filed another claim against the developers, the Madison Collection LLC, seeking to oust its property managers and transfer control to Panshi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
India is also too big and decentralized for any group to oust the government simply by paralyzing the national capital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
He started with Allen Textiles Inc., buying up enough shares to oust the family from control.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
Plus, defense contractor L3Harris Technologies ousts its CEO following an investigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
GameStop ousts its C.E.O. and elevates its top shareholder.
From New York Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
If the NFL ousts Snyder — and takes control of the team — would that re-open the door for Bezos?
From Washington Times ● Feb. 26, 2023
Toluse Olorunnipa, Tom Hamburger, Josh Dawsey and Greg Miller wrote, in an article headlined "Trump ousts 2 key witnesses in impeachment" in the print edition:
From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2020
And finally, in sympathy with the great European upheaval, in sympathy with the great natural law of change, Labour ousts both, single-eyed Labour, and down goes England, crumbling into the dust!—Let us lunch, my friends.
From The Great Prince Shan by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim
That is not to say Clayton, who at 25 became the youngest state party chair in the country in 2023 when she ousted an establishment-backed incumbent, has not at times been disappointed.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
To be fair, boards sometimes move quickly to replace a new CEO, but in those cases they’re often too hasty, usually because a predecessor or a founder was working to have someone ousted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Welsh singer reportedly resisted being ousted from the programme.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Since the summer, when 10-year executive director David Hussey was ousted, teachers, parents and others have been using words such as “chaos” and “soap opera” to describe the ongoing controversy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
When the Professor saw Mina smile—a positive smile ousted the anxiety of his face; he rubbed his hands as he said:—
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Any form of ousting would prove a severe test of diplomacy.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
After ousting the government from Sanaa in 2015, the Houthis attempted to also seize control of Taiz but were driven out of most of the city by local militiamen.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
On Tuesday, two progressive congressional candidates in Michigan beat out establishment Democrats in House races — in one case, ousting an incumbent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Correspondent Cecilia Vega was let go as part of Weiss’s overhaul in May, which also included ousting executive producer Tanya Simon and bringing in Bilton to run the program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
When I arrived at the theater a few mornings later, I was horrified to find that the company had drawn up a petition demanding the ousting of DeSheim.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
