ouster
Americannoun
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expulsion or removal from a place or position occupied.
The opposition called for the ouster of the cabinet minister.
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Law.
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an ejection or eviction; dispossession.
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a wrongful exclusion from real property.
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noun
Etymology
Origin of ouster
1525–35; < Anglo-French, noun use of infinitive See oust
Explanation
Use the noun ouster to talk about the process of forcing someone out of a position. If your city's mayor is pressured to leave office, you can describe it as her ouster. When someone is dismissed or strongly influenced to abandon a position or quit a job, it's an ouster. A politician is often vulnerable to an ouster, when others are vying for her position, but your boss at work could also be subject to an ouster if his managers conspired to eliminate his job and force him out. Ouster once meant "kick out of one's house or property," from the Old French word oster, "take away, evict, or dispel."
Vocabulary lists containing ouster
This Week in Words: August 28 - September 1
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This Week In Words: April 5–11, 2020
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Donald Trump Foreign Policy Address
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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.
After his ouster in late July, Fedorov initially voiced limited criticism of the authorities, hoping to strike an agreement with Zelensky or prompt the president to reverse his decision, the former minister’s aides said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
As a result, Roy E. Disney — Walt Disney’s nephew and a former Disney board member—launched the dramatic “Save Disney” shareholder campaign which led to Michael Eisner’s ouster as Disney’s CEO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Josh Bycel said his father reveled in the challenge of cleaning up L.A. politics and was frustrated by his abrupt ouster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
While Sharaa praised Russia's "historic role" in Syria and the region, Damascus has repeatedly demanded that it extradite Assad, who has been sheltering in Moscow with his wife since his ouster.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Marshall was chiefly interested in Malcolm X’s finances, particularly how his extensive traveling since his Black Muslim ouster had been paid for.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
