deport

verb

de·​port di-ˈpȯrt 

dē-

deported; deporting; deports

transitive verb

1

[Latin deportare]

a

: to send out of the country by legal deportation

b

: to carry away

2

: to behave or comport (oneself) especially in accord with a code

Synonyms

• banish
• displace
• exile
• expatriate
• relegate
• transport

Choose the Right Synonym for deport

banish, exile, deport, transport mean to remove by authority from a state or country.

banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare.

illegal aliens will be deported

transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

behave, conduct, deport, comport, acquit mean to act or to cause oneself to do something in a certain way.

behave may apply to the meeting of a standard of what is proper or decorous.

the children behaved in church

conduct implies action or behavior that shows the extent of one's power to control or direct oneself.

conducted herself with unfailing good humor

deport implies behaving so as to show how far one conforms to conventional rules of discipline or propriety.

the hero deported himself in accord with the code of chivalry

comport suggests conduct measured by what is expected or required of one in a certain class or position.

comported themselves as gentlemen

acquit applies to action under stress that deserves praise or meets expectations.

acquitted herself well in her first assignment

Examples of deport in a Sentence

Thousands of immigrants had been illegally deported.

deported them back to their country of birth

Recent Examples on the Web

The second Trump administration’s promises to swiftly deport immigrants in the country without legal permission is but one of the fears Acero’s community of 15 elementary and high schools is grappling with. —Ikram Mohamed, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025

Native Americans say there is growing fear within their community that they could be wrongly stopped and questioned by agents amid Trump’s push to deport millions of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. —Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025

The Trump administration has also promised to deport campus demonstrators who have student visas. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2025

Germany has been engulfed in a fiery debate about migration throughout the election campaign as several parties used violent attacks in Germany committed by people due to be deported or with a foreign background to push for tighter immigration laws. —Sophie Kiderlin, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French deporter, from Latin deportare to carry away, from de- + portare to carry — more at fare

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for deport

• abort
• airport
• alport
• athwart
• carport
• comport
• consort
• distort
• escort
• exhort
• extort
• forecourt

Kids Definition

deport

verb

de·​port di-ˈpō(ə)rt 

-ˈpȯ(ə)rt

1

: to cause (oneself) to act in a certain way : conduct

deported themselves well in public

2

: to force (a person who is not a citizen) to leave a country

deportation

ˌdē-ˌpōr-ˈtā-shən

-ˌpȯr-

noun

deportee

ˌdē-ˌpōr-ˈtē

-ˌpȯr-

noun

Legal Definition

deport

transitive verb

de·​port di-ˈpōrt 

: to send (an alien) out of a country by order of deportation compare exclude

deportable adjective