What does evicted mean?
"Evicted" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "evict," meaning to force someone out of a property through legal process, most commonly because they have failed to pay rent or have violated the terms of their tenancy. The word is firmly rooted in law and housing: landlords evict tenants, courts issue eviction orders, and those removed are known as evictees. Because losing one's home is among life's most disruptive experiences, the word carries a strongly negative connotation of hardship, instability, and displacement, and it appears frequently in journalism and public-policy discussions about housing rights and homelessness. Grammatically, it is almost always used in the passive voice — people are evicted from homes, apartments, or premises. Derived forms include "eviction" (the act or process), "evictee," and "evictor." The word derives from Latin evincere, meaning to overcome or conquer, giving it an unexpectedly martial pedigree for such a bureaucratic term.
verbPast tense and past participle of "evict": to legally force someone out of a property they occupy, typically for failing to pay rent or breaching the terms of a tenancy.
- Forced out of a property by legal process, typically for non-payment of rent or breach of tenancy terms.
"The family was evicted from their apartment after falling months behind on rent."
"After repeated warnings about noise complaints, the tenants were finally evicted from the building."
"Thousands of families were evicted during the economic downturn, overwhelming local shelters."
The word "evicted" traces back to a Latin root meaning to conquer or overcome — so every eviction notice is, etymologically, a tiny act of conquest.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of evicted
"Evicted" comes from the Latin verb evincere, formed from e- (out) plus vincere (to conquer), originally meaning to overcome or vanquish. It entered English in the early modern period via Anglo-Norman and legal Latin, where it came to denote the lawful dispossession of someone from property, particularly in real-property law. Its Latin cousins include "evince" (to show clearly) and "invincible" (unconquerable), all sharing the vincere root.
Related word forms
How evicted is actually used
Register is neutral-to-formal; the word is standard in legal contexts, journalism, and everyday speech. It carries a negative connotation of hardship and displacement, and is usually used in the passive ("was/were evicted"). The agent is often unstated when the process is understood.
Easily confused with evicted
"Convicted" means found guilty of a crime in court, while "evicted" means legally forced out of a property; the words rhyme but share no meaning.