divest

(dĭ-vĕst', dī-)
tr.v., -vest·ed, -vest·ing, -vests.

1. To strip, as of clothes.
2. 1. To deprive, as of rights or property; dispossess.
   2. To free of; rid: "Most secretive of men, let him at last divest himself of secrets, both his and ours" (Brendan Gill).
3. To sell off or otherwise dispose of (a subsidiary company or an investment).
4. Law. To devest.

[Alteration (influenced by Medieval Latin dīvestīre, to undress) of DEVEST.]

divestment di·vest'ment n.

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The traditional uses of divest are as a somewhat formal word meaning 'to undress' and, in the reflexive form divest oneself of, in the sense 'to dispossess oneself of' (typically with reference to rights, powers, etc., or as a humorous alternative to 'get rid of':

By about 1900,... you were generally well-advised to divest yourself of a regional accent if you wanted to rise and get on in the world—Daily Mail, 2004).

These uses were supplemented in the 1950s, first in American English and then elsewhere, by the financial meanings 'to sell off (a subsidiary company)' and 'to cease to hold (an investment)':

We are continually evaluating our asset base to divest assets that are not required for future operations—Lloyd's List, 2004.

The corresponding noun is divestment.

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verb

1. To make bare: bare, denude, disrobe, expose, strip¹, uncover. See put on/take off.
2. To take or keep something away from: deprive, dispossess, rob, strip¹. See give/take/reciprocity.

v

Definition: dispossess; take off
Antonyms: clothe, cover, invest, possess, take

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

To deprive or take away.

Divest is usually used in reference to the relinquishment of authority, power, property, or title. If, for example, an individual is disinherited, he or she is divested of the right to inherit money. Similarly, an individual may be divested of his or her citizenship for treason.

Divest is also spelled devest.

IN BRIEF: To deprive or dispossess especially of property, authority, or title.

My first task after stepping off the plane into the tropics was to divest myself of my parka.

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See words rhyming with "divest."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Divest.

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - klæde af, aflægge, frigøre, slippe af med

idioms:

• divest oneself of    afføre sig

Nederlands (Dutch)
ontdoen, investering stoppen

Français (French)
v. tr. - dépouiller de, dévêtir, priver de, dégarnir (une chambre)

idioms:

• divest oneself of    se défaire de, se débarrasser de, (Comm, Fin) se défaire de

Deutsch (German)
v. - entkleiden, wegnehmen, (übertr.) berauben

idioms:

• divest oneself of    ausziehen, ablegen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - απεκδύω/-ομαι, γδύνω/-ομαι, απογυμνώνω/-ομαι

idioms:

• divest oneself of    απεκδύομαι, αφαιρώ, βγάζω (ρούχα), απαλλάσσομαι από

Italiano (Italian)
idioms:

• divest oneself of    spogliarsi di

Português (Portuguese)
v. - despir, livrar-se de

idioms:

• divest oneself of    despojar alguém de

Русский (Russian)
лишать, избавляться

idioms:

• divest oneself of    слагать с себя обязанности

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - desposeer, despojar, quitar

idioms:

• divest oneself of    renunciar a, quitarse el, despojarse de

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - klä av

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
剥除, 剥夺, 使脱去, 迫使放弃

idioms:

• divest oneself of    脱衣, 放弃, 抛弃

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 剝除, 剝奪, 使脫去, 迫使放棄

idioms:

• divest oneself of    脫衣, 放棄, 拋棄

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - (옷을) 벗기다, (권리를) 빼앗다

idioms:

• divest oneself of    ~을 벗어 던지다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - からはぎ取る, 脱がせる, から奪う, 剥奪する, 奪う

idioms:

• divest oneself of    脱ぎ捨てる, 投げ出す

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يسلب قوة أو حقوق أو سلطه مثلا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הפשיט, נטל, שלל‬

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