To evict someone means to legally force them to leave a place where they've been living, usually because they broke the rules of their rental agreement or didn't pay rent. A landlord might evict a tenant who hasn't paid rent for several months, who damaged the property, or who violated their lease in other serious ways.

Eviction is usually a formal legal process that may require court approval, depending on the laws where you live. In many places, the landlord must go to court and get a judge's approval before forcing someone out. This helps protect renters from being kicked out unfairly or without warning. If a judge orders an eviction, the tenant must move out by a certain date, or law enforcement officers may remove the tenant and their belongings.

While eviction sounds harsh, it exists because property owners need a way to handle serious problems, like when someone refuses to pay or creates dangerous situations for neighbors. Most landlords would rather have reliable tenants than go through the time and expense of eviction, which is why they typically try other solutions first.

You might also hear evict used more casually, like when someone jokes about evicting their younger sibling from the bathroom, but that's not the word's real meaning.