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
-
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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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:
As a result, the White House swiftly moved to try again to oust her.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Masino spent weeks personally fighting the activist’s and critics’ efforts to oust her, meeting with investors ahead of a November proxy vote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
If Infantino does vow to fight on, Uefa and countries from other confederations must look to find other ways to oust him.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
On July 27, 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. 4, 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
Or where a higher religion ousts the older one, the ritual is still retained among the folk, though its meaning may be forgotten.
From The Religion of the Ancient Celts by J. A. MacCulloch
Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began in 2014, when the Houthis ousted the internationally-recognised government from Sanaa.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
This is the latest signal of warming relations between Washington and Caracas after the United States ousted longtime leader Nicolas Maduro in a military operation in January.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
The site also has hosted bets on the federal prosecution of Sean “Diddy” Combs and the government’s current case against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
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
But when the school’s president was later ousted for incompetence, the trustees appointed Garfield to the position.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
Any form of ousting would prove a severe test of diplomacy.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
She has also had to navigate internal volatility after the ousting of the company’s chairman in May, she adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
She says Calvert is “much more senior” than Kim, so ousting him would be “more significant.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Brazilian Joao Havelange was the last person to unseat a Fifa president in an election, ousting Sir Stanley Rous in 1974.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The sandblasters have been here, the skylight people; inside, the benjamina trees and tropical climbers have taken over, ousting the mangy African violets once nurtured on kitchen windowsills.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
