DIVEST

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does divest mean? 

• DIVEST (verb)
  The verb DIVEST has 4 senses:

1. take away possessions from someone
2. deprive of status or authority
3. reduce or dispose of; cease to hold (an investment)
4. remove (someone's or one's own) clothes

  Familiarity information: DIVEST used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DIVEST (verb)

Meaning:

Take away possessions from someone

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

deprive; divest; strip

Context example:

The Nazis stripped the Jews of all their assets

Hypernyms (to "divest" is one way to...):

take (take into one's possession)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "divest"):

disarm; unarm (take away the weapons from; render harmless)

bereave (deprive through death)

orphan (deprive of parents)

unsex (deprive of sex or sexual powers)

unclothe (strip)

clean out (deprive completely of money or goods)

dispossess (expel or put out of the possession of real estate)

clean (deprive wholly of money in a gambling game, robbery, etc.)

expropriate (deprive of possessions)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody of something

Sentence example:

They divest him of all his money

Meaning:

Deprive of status or authority

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

disinvest; divest

Context examples:

he was divested of his rights and his title / They disinvested themselves of their rights

Hypernyms (to "divest" is one way to...):

discharge; free (free from obligations or duties)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "divest"):

dethrone (remove a monarch from the throne)

defrock; unfrock (divest of the frock; of church officials)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody of something

Antonym:

invest (provide with power and authority)

Meaning:

Reduce or dispose of; cease to hold (an investment)

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

disinvest; divest

Context examples:

The company decided to divest / the board of trustees divested $20 million in real estate property / There was pressure on the university to disinvest in South Africa

Hypernyms (to "divest" is one way to...):

draw; draw off; take out; withdraw (remove (a commodity) from (a supply source))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Antonym:

invest (make an investment)

Meaning:

Remove (someone's or one's own) clothes

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

undress; disinvest; divest; strip

Context examples:

The nurse quickly undressed the accident victim / She divested herself of her outdoor clothes / He disinvested himself of his garments

Hypernyms (to "divest" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody