Dispossess

Pronunciation: /dɪsˈpɑzɛs/

Definitions of dispossess

verb to deprive someone of land, property, or possessions

Example Sentences

A1 The landlord cannot dispossess the tenant without proper legal notice.

A2 The government dispossessed the farmers of their land to build a new highway.

B1 The company was dispossessed of its assets after it declared bankruptcy.

B2 The dictator dispossessed many citizens of their rights and freedoms.

C1 The indigenous people were systematically dispossessed of their ancestral lands by colonizers.

C2 The corrupt politician used his power to dispossess the public of their resources for personal gain.

Examples of dispossess in a Sentence

formal The government decided to dispossess the landowners in order to build a new highway.

informal The landlord tried to dispossess the tenants for not paying rent on time.

slang The scam artist managed to dispossess the old lady of her life savings.

figurative The traumatic experience seemed to dispossess her of all hope for the future.

Grammatical Forms of dispossess

• past tense: dispossessed
• plural: dispossess
• comparative: more dispossessing
• superlative: most dispossessing
• present tense: dispossesses
• future tense: will dispossess
• perfect tense: have dispossessed
• continuous tense: is dispossessing
• singular: dispossess
• positive degree: dispossessing
• infinitive: to dispossess
• gerund: dispossessing
• participle: dispossessing

Origin and Evolution of dispossess

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'dispossess' originated from the Latin word 'dispossidere', which is a combination of 'dis-' (meaning 'away') and 'possidere' (meaning 'to have possession of').

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'dispossess' has retained its original meaning of depriving someone of possession or ownership, but it has also taken on broader connotations related to eviction, displacement, and dispossession in legal and social contexts.