evict
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to expel (a person, especially a tenant) from land, a building, etc., by legal process, as for nonpayment of rent.
- Synonyms:
- dislodge, dispossess, remove, eject
-
to throw or force out, as from a place, organization, or position.
He was evicted from office by a populist revolution.
-
to recover (property, titles, etc.) by virtue of superior legal title.
verb
-
to expel (a tenant) from property by process of law; turn out
-
to recover (property or the title to property) by judicial process or by virtue of a superior title
Other Word Forms
- evictee noun
- eviction noun
- evictor noun
- reevict verb (used with object)
- unevicted adjective
Etymology
Origin of evict
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English evicten, from Late Latin ēvictus “having recovered one's property by law,” Latin: past participle of ēvincere “to overcome, conquer, evince,” equivalent to ē- “from, out of; thoroughly” + vic- (past participle stem of vincere “to conquer”) + -tus past participle suffix; evince, e- 1, victor
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.
Though they typically only operate in the Tahoe area, a few of their members went to Altadena to help a homeowner struggling to evict a 550-pound bear from underneath his home.
From Los Angeles Times
“Mr. Glover was essentially trying to evict Jane Doe from his home without notice or warning of any kind,” according to the lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times
The U.S. military made strenuous efforts to distance itself from Israel when it mounted its Desert Storm campaign in 1991 to evict Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
How could he evict this poor hare out into the elements, especially knowing that she built the burrow herself?
From Literature
Britain evicted thousands of people, who have since mounted legal challenges for compensation.
From Barron's
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.
