Synonym Chooser

How does the verb deport contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of deport are banish, exile, and transport. While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," 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

When might banish be a better fit than deport?

In some situations, the words banish and deport are roughly equivalent. However, banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

When is it sensible to use exile instead of deport?

The synonyms exile and deport are sometimes interchangeable, but exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

When is transport a more appropriate choice than deport?

The meanings of transport and deport largely overlap; however, transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of deport The men were deported that same day, and Boasberg has spent two weeks trying to find out if the Trump administration had violated his court order. Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025 Trump has questioned the the impartiality of a federal judge who blocked his plans to deport Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, leveling his criticism only hours before his administration asked an appeals court to lift the judge’s order. Janie Har, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025 Sign up for the 12:30 Report newsletter That includes a recent ruling from U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans to a prison in El Salvador. Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 1 Apr. 2025 Washington — President Trump has made no secret of his disapproval of a federal judge who temporarily blocked his administration's efforts to deport Venezuelan migrants suspected of being gang members under a 1789 law. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deport
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deport
Verb
  • The powerful producer Scott Rudin was exiled from entertainment after accusations of bullying.
    Matthew Cullen, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Soon, though, we were all exiled—I was arrested, just picked up off the street and thrown in jail.
    Corey Seymour, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Cynthia was convicted at trial of child neglect but acquitted of murder, the Washington Post reported; Dominique pleaded guilty in November to child neglect charges.
    Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Italy's highest court acquitted the now-37-year-old of murder in 2015.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • President Donald Trump has framed his actions as efforts to root out noncitizens who support terrorists and banish members of notoriously violent gangs, but outside groups and lawyers have accused the president of acting illegally and sued.
    Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Thor and his friends lash out at the Frost Giants against Odin’s wishes, and he is banished to Earth.
    Jacqueline Weiss, People.com, 8 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The bag is comfortable to carry and made from a durable nylon fabric that can withstand heavy gear.
    Christopher Murray, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • With its Astor Place bag being carried around by Posey’s character, Louis Vuitton earned $4.3 million in MIV.
    Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • There followed a surreal half-time chat between Chapman and Poyet about his dismissal, with the game relegated to a sideshow, as fellow pundit Efan Ekoku shifted awkwardly in his seat.
    Tom Burrows, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The herb once relegated to savory cooking has begun popping up in cocktails, as more bartenders enlist its unique flavor to liven up recipes.
    Kevin Gray, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • New clues from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument collaboration, known as DESI, suggest dark energy may be behaving in unexpected ways and may even be weakening over time.
    Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
  • When her little brother Tim begins behaving strangely, doctor-in-training Jamie Shandro calls on her medical school experience and her sisterly love to navigate his frightening diagnosis.
    Ashley M. Wilcox, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Part of it is to demote Jackson, the President who kept scores of slaves at his Tennessee plantation and signed legislation that forcibly evicted thousands of Native Americans from their land.
    Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The venue called Plant No. 4, which is operated by Black Swan MKE, was evicted from its space at The Phoenix Building at the Historic Third Ward at the end of last year, according to court documents obtained by WITI-TV, WISN-TV and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
    Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Hansi Flick was seen restraining the Brazilian, who headed down the tunnel clearly enraged.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • The state’s strongest piece of evidence against Pratt was his DNA found on a roll of duct tape that was used to restrain the victims.
    Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deport. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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