dispossess

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

IPA: /dɪsˈpɒzɛs/

KK: /dɪspəˈzɛs/

transitive verb

Definition

To take away someone's property or possessions, making them unable to own or occupy it.

Example

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

Tense Forms

Past: dispossessed

Past Participle: dispossessed

Conversation

Did you hear about the new law that could dispossess some homeowners?

Yeah, I read about it; it's really concerning.

I can't believe they would dispossess people like that without proper compensation.

Right? It's important to protect people's rights to their homes.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

divest

strip

remove

Antonyms

possess

retain

acquire

Root Explanation

Dispossess → It is formed from "dis-" (meaning apart or away) and "possess" (from Latin "possidere", meaning to hold or occupy). The word means to take away someone's possession or to remove them from what they hold.

Memory Tip

Think of being 'taken away' ('dis-') from what you 'hold' ('possess') — that's why dispossess means to remove someone from their possessions.

Visually Confused Words