noun

eviction

ih-VIK-shun/ɪˈvɪkʃn/

The legal removal of a tenant or occupant from property.

The tenant faces eviction after falling behind on rent.

An adult couple stands outside their former doorway with two packed boxes while a court officer supervises the completed departure and retains a paper with a small scales seal.

Etymology

eLatinout; perhaps adds emphasis

+victLatinovercome, conquer

+ionLatinaction or process

Built on “conquer,” with a prefix meaning “out” or perhaps adding emphasis, the noun first described recovering property through judgment. Its later meaning emphasizes the other side of that recovery: the occupant’s legal dispossession.

In context

FRONTLINE PBS | Official47:54

when we're talking about eviction. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: June Robinson was not able to provide rental receipts or a valid lease to prove she was a legal tenant, and was forced to leave the apartment.

Facing Eviction (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

More examples

The court orders an eviction after the landlord proves a lease violation.
A lawyer helps the family challenge the eviction in court.
The city tracks evictions to understand local housing problems.

Forms

eviction · evictions

evict verb — Legally remove someone from occupied property.

Similar words

dispossession: Broader loss of possession, not necessarily through legal proceedings.
expulsion: Forced removal from a place or group, not specifically property.