English Reference
Noun

ouster

n. C / U
C2 Proficiency US /ˈaʊstɝ/ UK /ˈaʊstɐ/ ouster UK spelling ousters

n.the act of being forced to leave a place or a position. It is an old word for being kicked out or removed from power.

n.the act of being expelled or forced to leave a place, position, or office. Often used in legal or historical contexts to describe the removal of a ruler or official.


SIMPLE

The king's ouster led to a long period of civil war.

CONTEXTUAL

The sudden ouster of the prime minister shocked the nation and led to a constitutional crisis.

COMPLEX

Historians often debate whether the ouster of the previous administration was a necessary reform or a dangerous power grab by the opposition.

Maduro says both votes were fair and has long accused the US of seeking his ouster to gain control of the South American country’s oil wealth .

Al Jazeera· 3 Sept 2026

Israel has routinely launched strikes in Syria and occupied swaths of its southern regions since the ouster of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Al Jazeera· 22 Aug 2026

Etymology 1

From Old French ouster, oustre, a nominalization of Anglo-Norman oustre (“to oust”).

Etymology 2

From oust + -er.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Occasional
Updated