expel

verb

ex·​pel ik-ˈspel 

expelled; expelling

transitive verb

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

expellable

ik-ˈspe-lə-bəl 

adjective

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.

Synonyms

• banish
• boot (out)
• bounce
• cast out
• chase
• dismiss
• drum (out)
• eject
• extrude
• kick out
• oust
• out
• rout
• run off
• throw out
• turf (out) [chiefly British]
• turn out

Choose the Right Synonym for expel

eject, expel, oust, evict mean to drive or force out.

eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

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

New Delhi also moved to expel Canadian diplomats and suspend new visas for Canadians wishing to visit India. —Rohan Mukherjee, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2024

Authorities recently detained Lightbourne in the Dominican Republic, the FBI said, though he was expelled to the U.S. due to immigration violations. —Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024

Santos, who faces nearly two dozen federal criminal charges, was expelled from Congress in December, with 105 Republicans voting for his removal. —Nik Popli, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024

Some county party chairs are considering asking Speaker Mike Johnson to expel him earlier. —Journal Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2024

At cracks in the icy moons’ surfaces where the ocean is expelled in icy plumes, any bacteria-like astrobiological material could get pushed into space as well. —Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024

Few in the international community spoke out, for example, when the Iraqi army leveled half of Mosul in its effort to expel the Islamic State in 2016 and 2017. —Andrew Exum, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2024

After the crackdown on free speech in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most independent media organizations have been banned, many Russian journalists are in exile, and foreign correspondents have either been expelled or jailed, including The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich. —USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024

Washington should expel the superfluous Chinese personnel who remain here under the HKETO banner. —The Editors, National Review, 21 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English expellen, from Latin expellere, from ex- + pellere to drive — more at felt

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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