expelled; expelling
1
: to force out : eject
expelled the smoke from her lungs
2
: to force to leave (a place, an organization, etc.) by official action : take away rights or privileges of membership
was expelled from college
Did you know?
To expel is to drive out, and its usual noun is expulsion. Expel is similar to eject, but expel suggests pushing out while eject suggests throwing out. Also, ejecting may only be temporary: the player ejected from a game may be back tomorrow, but the student expelled from school is probably out forever.
Examples of expel in a Sentence
The club may expel members who do not follow the rules.
She was expelled from school for bad behavior.
expel air from the lungs
Recent Examples on the Web
Republican Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson told the Star Tribune that Eichorn’s actions were sufficient to bring a motion to expel Eichorn from the state senate.
—
Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
She’s now been in ICE detention for over a month
The researcher was then denied entry to the US and expelled from the country, Baptiste said.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
The institution notes that Fuego's eruptions have become more mafic with time, meaning the volcano is expelling darker, denser lava with higher magnesium and iron content.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Trump has been threatening for months to use the Alien Enemies Act, of 1798, to expel Venezuelans who the Administration says belong to the Tren de Aragua gang, without the bother of going through legal proceedings.
—Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
She’s now been in ICE detention for over a month
The researcher was then denied entry to the US and expelled from the country, Baptiste said.
—Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
The institution notes that Fuego's eruptions have become more mafic with time, meaning the volcano is expelling darker, denser lava with higher magnesium and iron content.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Trump has been threatening for months to use the Alien Enemies Act, of 1798, to expel Venezuelans who the Administration says belong to the Tren de Aragua gang, without the bother of going through legal proceedings.
—Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expel
Cite this Entry
“Expel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expel. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
expel
verb
ex·pel
ik-ˈspel 
expelled; expelling
1
: to drive or force out
expel air from the lungs
2
: to force to leave usually by official action
expelled from school
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share