disown

verb

dis·​own (ˌ)dis-ˈōn 

disowned; disowning; disowns

transitive verb

1

: to refuse to acknowledge as one's own

2

a

: to repudiate any connection or identification with

b

: to deny the validity or authority of

disownment

(ˌ)dis-ˈōn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• contradict
• deny
• disaffirm
• disallow
• disavow
• disclaim
• disconfirm
• gainsay
• negate
• negative
• refute
• reject
• repudiate

Examples of disown in a Sentence

Her parents threatened to disown her if she didn't go back to school.

He was disowned for bringing shame to the family.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the past few weeks, the political media has been awash with stories about Wall Street bigwigs and tech barons throwing their support behind Donald Trump, whom some of them disowned following the January 6, 2021 assault on Capitol Hill. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024

This includes the prime minister, who initially disowned the pause. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 17 June 2024

Signifying the general schizo state of country, Morris recently disowned the genre over political differences. —Greg Carannante, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2024

Darius makes his return the following season for the trial, where he’s found not guilty after managing to get key pieces of evidence thrown out while representing himself and then gets disowned by Fin in the episode’s final moments. —Jihane Bousfiha, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

disown

verb

dis·​own (ˈ)dis-ˈōn 

: to refuse to accept any longer as one's own : renounce, disclaim