OUST Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'oust' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of oust are eject , evict , and expel . While all these words mean "to drive or force out," oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion. // police ousted the squatters

Q: When would 'eject' be a good substitute for 'oust'?

The words eject and oust can be used in similar contexts, but eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action. // ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

Q: In what contexts can 'evict' take the place of 'oust'?

The synonyms evict and oust are sometimes interchangeable, but evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home. // evicted for nonpayment of rent

Q: When might 'expel' be a better fit than 'oust'?

While the synonyms expel and oust are close in meaning, expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical. // a student expelled from college

oust

verb

ˈau̇st

Definition of oust

as in to eject

to drive or force out she was ousted from her job after it was proven she'd been pilfering company supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to depose

to remove from a position of prominence or power (as a throne) the people finally rose up and ousted the corrupt dictator

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to evict

to end the occupancy or possession of the squatters were forcibly ousted from the abandoned building

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb oust contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of oust are eject, evict, and expel. While all these words mean "to drive or force out," oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

When would eject be a good substitute for oust?

The words eject and oust can be used in similar contexts, but eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

In what contexts can evict take the place of oust?

The synonyms evict and oust are sometimes interchangeable, but evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

When might expel be a better fit than oust?

While the synonyms expel and oust are close in meaning, expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of oust Proof is also shown with a petition that more than 200,000 Canadians have signed to oust the American ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra. — Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026 Democrats hope to oust incumbents or pick up open seats to retake the Senate majority. — Jay Stahl, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 Trump narrowly lost his initial bid to oust Cook at the Supreme Court, partly on procedural grounds. — Maria Eloisa Capurro, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 Niger, a mineral-rich West African nation with significant uranium, oil and gold resources, has been ruled by military officers since the July 2023 coup that ousted President ⁠Mohamed Bazoum. — Reuters, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oust

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oust

Verb

Plate umpire Alan Porter tossed Vitello and first-base ump Jim Wolf ejected Webb, who was not pitching Friday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Days later, a former NBA player who has used the WNBA as a vehicle for anti-trans advocacy was ejected from a Chicago Sky game, after engaging in an altercation with team guard Natasha Cloud.

— Odette Yousef, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of eject

Verb

The Turkish government was deposed in a military coup in 1980, and in the aftermath, the CHP (along with every other party) was banned from politics.

— Nick TaborAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
After Terri hired a lawyer and stopped cooperating with authorities, Desiree filed a civil suit as an investigative tool to depose her and others to get information.

— Eileen Murphy, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of depose

Verb

The main drama involves a rural teen-age tee girl who recognizes the resort’s president as the potentate who evicted her family from their land.

— Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
In 1968 Britain considered evicting the family by force, with declassified documents showing a plan to raze the fort.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of evict

Verb

Co-owner John Mara is battling cancer, and co-owner Steve Tisch is laying low after being outed in the Epstein Files.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2026
Then the rest of the game occurred, a 20-12 victory in which Ty Simpson emerged with arguably the best rookie quarterback outing across the league over the weekend.

— Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of out

Verb

After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the militant group once led by Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Shara, toppled the Assad regime at the end of 2024, regional trade began to trickle back in.

— Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
Adam had been working out at the gym when the man on the running machine next to him had toppled off it while watching a replay of the previous night’s Champions League highlights.

— Helen Simpson, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of topple

Verb

According to Lahey, depriving kids of desirable difficulties results in kids who can’t handle frustration, give up at the first hint of a challenge, and are less able to learn.

— Cheryl Maguire, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026
During the war’s previous winters, Russia systematically battered Ukraine’s power grid, depriving thousands of heat and light in freezing temperatures.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of deprive

Verb

The Legislature passed late Sunday a bill that would banish lobbyists convicted of corruption from the Capitol for 12 years.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Any doubts over whether that deal would be concluded would have been banished as soon as Riad was taken off.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of banish

Verb

The Bengals cut the roster down to 53 players on Sunday and there weren’t many surprises in a year where continuity and depth made only a few spots truly feel open to unseating the placeholder.

— Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Buhari benefited from outrage over the Chibok girls’ abduction to become the first opposition candidate to unseat a president, and Tinubu succeeded Buhari in power.

— Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of unseat

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ounces

oust

ousted

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“Oust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oust. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of oust

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