Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of forcing someone to leave a property, especially a rented home, through legal action: "Eviction" primarily refers to the legal process by which a landlord removes a tenant from a property.
   • The action of making someone leave a place, sometimes without formal legal proceedings: It can also describe a landlord's actions that force a tenant to leave, such as making the property unfit to live in, even if no official court order is involved.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The family faced eviction for not paying rent for six months.
  • The landlord began the eviction process by filing papers with the court.
  • Changing the locks constituted an illegal eviction.

Advanced Usage

• "Constructive eviction": A situation where a landlord's actions (like not making repairs) make a property so uninhabitable that the tenant is forced to leave, which can have legal consequences similar to a formal eviction.
  • The lack of heat and running water led to a claim of constructive eviction.

Variants and Related Words

• Evict (verb): To expel someone, especially a tenant, from a property.
  • The landlord had to evict the noisy tenants.
• Evictee (noun): A person who has been evicted.
  • Charities provided aid to the evictees.

Synonyms

• Expulsion: The act of forcing someone to leave a place.
• Ouster: A formal or legal term for the act of ejecting someone from property or a position.

Related Phrases

• "Notice of eviction" / "Eviction notice": The official written warning from a landlord to a tenant to leave the property, often the first step in the legal process.
  • They received an eviction notice giving them 30 days to vacate the apartment.
• "Eviction proceedings": The formal legal process in court for an eviction.
  • The eviction proceedings lasted several months.

Related Idioms

• "To get the eviction notice": (Informal) Can be used humorously or metaphorically to mean being forced to leave any situation.
  • After his poor performance, he practically got the eviction notice from the team.

Noun

1. the expulsion of someone (such as a tenant) from the possession of land by process of law
2. action by a landlord that compels a tenant to leave the premises (as by rendering the premises unfit for occupancy); no physical expulsion or legal process is involved