evict

verb

i-ˈvikt 

evicted; evicting; evicts

transitive verb

1

a

: to recover (property) from a person by legal process

b

: to put (a tenant) out by legal process

2

: to force out : expel

eviction

i-ˈvik-shən 

noun

evictor

i-ˈvik-tər 

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for evict

eject, expel, oust, evict mean to drive or force out.

eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

Examples of evict in a Sentence

His landlord has threatened to evict him if he doesn't pay the rent soon.

They were evicted from their apartment.

Recent Examples on the Web

They were allegedly left abandoned in an apartment when their family were evicted. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025

No president ever proposed anything so unhinged as Donald Trump’s brutal fantasy of evicting some 2.3 million Palestinians from Gaza and turning it into a massive real estate deal. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025

Trump administration officials evicted former Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan from her home with just three hours' notice. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025

What did surprise me, though, was how urgent and relevant the film’s plot—which focuses on Palmer’s Dreux and SZA’s Alyssa desperately trying to earn enough money to pay their rent before they’re evicted—feels at a cultural moment increasingly defined by the vast wealth gap. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin evictus, past participle of evincere, from Latin, to vanquish, win a point — more at evince

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

evict

verb

i-ˈvikt 

: to put (a person) out from property by legal action

eviction

-ˈvik-shən 

noun

evictor

-ˈvik-tər 

noun

Legal Definition

evict

transitive verb

i-ˈvikt 

: to put (a tenant) out of property by force, by virtue of a paramount title, or especially by legal process

Etymology

Medieval Latin evictus, past participle of evincere to recover (property) by legal process, from Latin, to vanquish, regain possession of