disown

verb

dis·​own (ˌ)dis-ˈōn How to pronounce disown (audio)
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 noun

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 Their homes have been destroyed, or they have been disowned by family. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 He had previously been temporarily disowned by his family for marrying Jenny in secret. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024 But not everyone agreed with the open letter or UNESCO’s recommendations, including some of the signatories who, Vice reported, either disowned the letter, walked back their positions, or turned out to be fake. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 31 Mar. 2023 And if someone does decide to leave, they are disowned and their families are told never to speak to them. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 6 Jan. 2024 The members of my mother’s family have disowned me for it. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023 That is in contrast to Malaysia, which has picked the film as its Oscar contender but where censors have cut so much out of it that Eu has disowned the local print. Janine Stein, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023 Strasberg would break away from Clurman, Clurman would marry and divorce Adler, Adler would disown Strasberg and start her own school; their friend Sanford Meisner would develop a splinter Method, and so would the fifth of the foundational figures, Bobby Lewis (né Lewkowitz). Jesse Green, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023 Advertisement After all, the L.A. County Democratic Party has since disowned him. Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disown was in 1630

Dictionary Entries Near disown

Cite this Entry

“Disown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disown. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disown

verb
dis·​own (ˈ)dis-ˈōn How to pronounce disown (audio)
: to refuse to accept any longer as one's own : renounce, disclaim

More from Merriam-Webster on disown

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