1. to withhold (land or property) wrongfully from the rightful owner
Usage: legal; archaic

Examples

• The tenant deforced the landlord of his rightful possession.
• She was accused of having deforced the heir of his inheritance.
• The court ruled that the defendant had deforced the plaintiff of valuable property.
• Historical records show that nobles often deforced peasants of their lands.
• The legal action sought to recover lands that had been deforced for decades.