Standard Lemma guide

disown

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪsˈəʊn/
  • US: /dɪsˈoʊn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -əʊn
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S OW1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To refuse to own, or to refuse to acknowledge one’s own.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Lord Capulet and his wife threatened to disown their daughter Juliet if she didn’t go through with marrying Count Paris.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To repudiate any connection to; to renounce.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disavow, disclaim, abjure, deny, disown, forsay, forswear, renounce, repudiate, wash one's hands of

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To detach (a job or process) so that it can continue to run even when the user who launched it ends his/her login session.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Unix, transitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

cast off

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She renounced her husband
  • The parents repudiated their son

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: renounce, repudiate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reject

Narrower terms: apostatize, apostatise, tergiversate, abjure, recant, forswear, retract, resile, swallow, take back, unsay, withdraw, refute, rebut, deny

5

verb

Meaning 5

prevent deliberately (as by making a will) from inheriting

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disinherit

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: deprive

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Old French des-bor. ▲ Latin dis-bor. Middle English dis- English dis- English own English disown From dis- + own.

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَبَرَّأَ (tabarraʔa) — to refuse to own
  • Arabic: تَبَرَّأَ مِنْ (tabarraʔa min) — to refuse to own
  • Armenian: ուրանալ (uranal) — to refuse to own
  • Bulgarian: отричам се (otričam se) — to refuse to own
  • Bulgarian: отказвам се (otkazvam se) — to refuse to own
  • Chinese Mandarin: 斷絕關係 /断绝关系 (duànjué guānxì) — to refuse to own
  • Ngazidja Comorian: ulaani — to refuse to own
  • Czech: zavrhnout — to refuse to own
  • Czech: zříci se — to refuse to own
  • Dutch: verloochenen — to refuse to own
  • Dutch: verstoten — to refuse to own
  • Esperanto: malagnoski — to refuse to own
  • Finnish: hylätä — to refuse to own
  • Finnish: kieltää — to refuse to own
  • French: renier — to refuse to own
  • German: verstoßen — to refuse to own
  • German: verleugnen — to refuse to own
  • German: ableugnen — to refuse to own
  • German: enteignen — to refuse to own
  • German: zurückweisen — to refuse to own
  • German: sich distanzieren — to refuse to own
  • Gothic: 𐌹𐌽𐍅𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (inwidan) — to refuse to own
  • Greek: αποκηρύσσω (apokirýsso) — to refuse to own
  • Greek: απαρνούμαι (aparnoúmai) — to refuse to own
  • Ancient Greek: ἀπαναίνομαι (apanaínomai) — to refuse to own
  • Hebrew: הִתְנַכֵּר (hitnakér) — to refuse to own
  • Hungarian: kitagad — to refuse to own
  • Irish: séan — to refuse to own
  • Italian: disconoscere — to refuse to own
  • Latin: infitior — to refuse to own
  • Māori: whakaparahako — to refuse to own
  • Māori: whakarei — to refuse to own
  • Persian: پرمخیدن (parmaxidan) — to refuse to own
  • Portuguese: renegar — to refuse to own
  • Russian: отрека́ться (otrekátʹsja) — to refuse to own
  • Russian: отре́чься (otréčʹsja) — to refuse to own
  • Scottish Gaelic: diùlt — to refuse to own
  • Spanish: renegar — to refuse to own
  • Spanish: repudiar — to refuse to own
  • Spanish: desafijar (disused) — to refuse to own
  • Turkish: evlatlıktan reddetmek — to refuse to own
  • Walloon: rinoyî — to refuse to own