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

After a blow-up fight, King Durin (Peter Mullan) disowned his son. —Christian Holub, EW.com, 23 July 2024

The local Republican Party disowned Andriola in January, and multiple Republicans ran against her in a June primary, based largely on her views on election administration. —Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 11 July 2024

Advertisement Rivera left everything to her four youngest children (her eldest daughter, Janney Marin, better known as Chiquis, had been disowned) and named her younger sister, Rosie, as executor of her estate. —Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2024

While some of my fellow Chicagoans might disown me for saying this, any white roll will do. —Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 25 June 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