deportation

noun

de·​por·​ta·​tion ˌdē-ˌpȯr-ˈtā-shən 

-pər-

1

: an act or instance of deporting

2

: the removal from a country of an alien whose presence is unlawful or prejudicial

Synonyms

• banishment
• displacement
• exile
• expatriation
• expulsion
• relegation

Examples of deportation in a Sentence

the deportation of the Jews from Spain in 1492

Recent Examples on the Web

The real crisis is the lack of due process in the deportations, to take the first example, and the president’s assumption of Congress’s power to levy taxes, to take the second. —Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025

The senator's effort comes amid mounting legal and political pressure over the deportation. —Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025

Abrego Garcia, 29, was detained in March by U.S. immigration officials near his home in Beltsville, Maryland, and deported to El Salvador three days later despite a prior court order barring his deportation to the Central American country. —Will Carless, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025

The controversy around the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia intensified yet again Wednesday. —Niall Stanage, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deportation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Legal Definition

deportation

noun

de·​por·​ta·​tion ˌdē-ˌpōr-ˈtā-shən 

: an act or instance of deporting

specifically : the removal from a country of an alien whose presence is illegal or detrimental to the public welfare compare exclusion