divest
Americanverb (used with object)
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to strip of clothing, ornament, etc..
The wind divested the trees of their leaves.
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to strip or deprive (someone or something), especially of property or rights; dispossess.
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to rid of or free from.
He divested himself of all responsibility for the decision.
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Law. to take away or alienate (property, rights, etc.).
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Commerce.
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to sell off.
to divest holdings.
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to rid of through sale.
The corporation divested itself of its subsidiaries.
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verb
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to strip (of clothes)
to divest oneself of one's coat
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to deprive or dispossess
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property law to take away an estate or interest in property vested (in a person)
Synonym Usage
See strip 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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divestsimple
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divestssimple
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have divestedperfect
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has divestedperfect
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am divestingprogressive
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are divestingprogressive
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is divestingprogressive
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have been divestingperfect progressive
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has been divestingperfect progressive
Past
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divestedsimple
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had divestedperfect
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was divestingprogressive
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were divestingprogressive
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had been divestingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing divest
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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Good Riddance
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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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:
Gutierrez said a candidate who is serious about demonstrating a commitment to good governance should be comprehensive in their financial disclosures and could divest from any stock holdings.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Last week, the company disclosed plans to cut roughly 3,000 workers, including about 500 corporate employees, as part of a move to divest hundreds of its retail stores to franchise owners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Despite early concerns about potential dominance in the children’s television market, Paramount will not be required to divest Cartoon Network, a Warner asset, because of its ownership of Nickelodeon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The University of Cambridge, which pledged to divest from fossil fuels in 2020, is now reportedly pulling investment dollars out of banks that finance the fossil fuel industry, according to Bloomberg.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Robert Oppenheimer could no more divest himself of political concerns than he could give up music and wine; they were all essential to his method of engaging with the outside world.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
The certifying official notes that the filer “will be in compliance” only “once the filer divests these assets.”
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 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
Sometimes they’re not just threats: I’m thinking of a scene in another festival highlight, Jane Campion’s 1920s frontier saga “The Power of the Dog,” in which Benedict Cumberbatch graphically divests a bull of its testes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2021
When Fancy pictures before the restless mind distant and unknown scenes, she divests them of all the rough realities which a nearer view and a tried experience find in them.
From The Runaway The Adventures of Rodney Roverton by Unknown
“All of the President’s assets are held in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions. Special Envoy Witkoff has divested from World Liberty Financial,” Kelly said in a statement.
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
Nestlé divested Aimmune’s signature drug Palforzia in September 2023, about three years after buying the company for $2.6 billion.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 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
Tencent may consider divesting of mature or less strategic companies that offer limited future synergies, and instead increase investments in AI-related fields such as large language models and chips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Asked about divesting from fossil fuels, Caballero said the transition away from fossil fuel companies will take time.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
After divesting its auto parts business later this year, Modine will be a pure-play cooling company.
From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026
A government ethics official certified Warsh will comply with ethics rules after divesting some holdings if confirmed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 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
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.
