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to disown

to disown

37 5.8
Refuse to accept someone or something and stop having any connection with them
  • verb
  • /dɪsˈoʊn/
translation icon : renegar de
  • He decided to disown his son after learning about his illegal activities.

Instead, I became disowned in my own home for years.

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Examples

  • At lunch, my mother said to me, "I would disown my daughter if she had an abortion."

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Are you going to officially disown me?

  • What if your parents disown you, as has happened to some of my friends?

  • My dad would disown me if I bought him this thing.

  • My mom and dad would not kill me, but they would disown me and they would never speak to me again.

  • I will disown you if you do.

  • My parents probably wanna disown me.

  • My parents pretty much disowned me and didn't come to the wedding or anything like that.

  • I know if I marry Mohammed, my father is going to disown me, and he won't give me that land.

    Academic text (2006)
  • I disowned him.

Synonyms

to withdraw
vsto disown
466 2.8

To stop taking part in a place or activity

is about active rejection and refusal to acknowledge or claim
75 7.0

Keep away from someone or something to show no connection

is stronger, often ending all acceptance and legal ties
to renounce
vsto disown
  • Formal
69 6.3

To give up a right, belief, job, or position officially

is more about abandoning rights rather than refusing personal ties
to repudiate
vsto disown
  • Formal
33 8.2

To refuse to accept or be linked to something

is a general refusal of connection without formal wording
to disavow
vsto disown
  • Formal
33 7.7

To say you are not responsible for or connected to something

is the broad refusal to accept or acknowledge someone
to ostracize
vsto disown
  • US
31 7.7

To leave someone out of a group on purpose

is more about refusing personal relation than organised exclusion
to cast out
vsto disown
31 6.2

Force someone to leave a group or place because others reject them

is broader, including choosing to deny personal connection without force
to shun
vsto disown
26 4.6

To avoid someone or something and refuse to meet and speak to them on purpose

is similar but often includes formal denial or ending ties
to disassociate
vsto disown
16 7.0

To end a connection with a person, group, or idea

is about rejecting personal ties rather than formal denial
to turn away from
vsto disown
15 3.7

To refuse to have anything to do with someone or something

is stronger, often final refusal to accept any relation
to cast aside
vsto disown
  • Informal
11 3.7

Reject or ignore people and things you no longer want

is more about refusal to accept or claim personal relation
to dissociate
vsto disown
3 6.7

To stop being involved with a person, group, or idea

is a refusal to acknowledge or claim someone personally
to disinherit
vsto disown
1 7.7

To stop someone from getting your money or things you own when you die

is the wider rejection including social or personal cutting off

Antonyms

367 3.8

To admit that something is true or real

20 3.4

A warm, willing acceptance of someone or an idea

How Rejected

to banish
107 6.3
to disown
37 5.8
to cut off
620 3.8
to reject
839 1.9
to snub
7 6.3
to ignore
1.0

Surface Forms

disown infinitive
disowned past
disowned past participle
disowning present participle
disowns third person singular

Morphology

disown = own (semi-transparent) = dis + own

The prefix clearly adds reversal or negation to 'own', but the common sense extends from literal possession to denying relationship or responsibility.

Etymology

Disown comes from two parts: dis- 'not' or 'away' and own 'to have' or 'belong to you'. So to disown someone is to say they are 'not yours' anymore and to refuse to accept or support them.