deport

American  

[dih-pawrt, -pohrt] / dɪˈpɔrt, -ˈpoʊrt /

verb (used with object)

deports, present (3rd person singular) deported, past participle, past deporting present participle

1. to expel (an alien) from a country; banish.

2. to send or carry off; transport, especially forcibly.

   The country deported its criminals.

3. to bear, conduct, or behave (oneself ) in a particular manner.

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deport British  

/ dɪˈpɔːt /

verb

1. to remove (an alien) forcibly from a country; expel

2. to carry (an inhabitant) forcibly away from his homeland; transport; exile; banish

3. to conduct, hold, or behave (oneself) in a specified manner

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deportee
  noun
• deporter
  noun
• deportable
  adjective
• nondeportable
  adjective
• nondeported
  adjective
• undeported
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• deporting
  present
• deported
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• deport
  simple
• deports
  simple
• have deported
  perfect
• has deported
  perfect
• am deporting
  progressive
• are deporting
  progressive
• is deporting
  progressive
• have been deporting
  perfect progressive
• has been deporting
  perfect progressive

Past

• deported
  simple
• had deported
  perfect
• was deporting
  progressive
• were deporting
  progressive
• had been deporting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will deport
  simple
• will have deported
  perfect
• will be deporting
  progressive
• will have been deporting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of deport

1475–85; < Middle French déporter < Latin dēportāre to carry away, banish oneself, equivalent to dē- de- + portāre to carry; see port ⁵

Explanation

To deport is to kick someone out of a country. Deporting is also to deliver a person to the authorities of another country. Although you might like to deport your little brother from your room, it’s something governments do. Governments have the power to deport. When you're deported, you get thrown out of a country, often because you were there illegally. This type of deporting is similar to exiling. Another form of deporting is even harsher: sometimes a person is not only tossed out of one country, but handed over to the government of another country. This is also called being extradited, and it usually happens to people wanted for a crime in the second country.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deport deports deported deporting

The Justice Department has filed a first-ever petition to a secretive and dormant court created 30 years ago to weigh government requests to deport so-called ‘alien terrorists’ from the United States.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Ministers have vowed to deport the men after they were sentenced.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

As the leader of a minor Axis power, Boris had refused Hitler’s demands to deploy his army against the Soviet Union and deport Bulgarian Jews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Lau that immigration officers can now deport and deny lawful permanent residents — green card holders — entry into the country if they reasonably believe that the residents have committed a crime involving “moral turpitude.”

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

Why would anyone ever want to deport him?

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Apparently, the administration is casting a very wide net as it detains and deports people.

From Salon ● May 25, 2025

Ammunition deports and chemical plants were hit across several regions, some of which were hundreds of kilometres from the border, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2025

Australia deports foreigners convicted of crimes as part of an immigration crackdown that can also strip dual-nationals of Australian citizenship.

From Reuters ● Jun. 10, 2022

Mayorkas said some would be subject to “expedited removal” in which the U.S. quickly deports low-level immigration offenders.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2021

“Thanatos catches souls,” Percy said, “and deports them back to the Underworld.”

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Unless previously deported, living in the country illegally is considered a civil violation rather than a crime and carries penalties such as arrests, fines and deportation proceedings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Cuban migrants in Curitiba recount horror stories of friends and relatives who sold their homes to reach the U.S., only to be deported and returned to the island with nothing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

She was deported to Mexico later that day.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Lyons was arrested in Bali in March, deported to the Netherlands and extradited to Spain last month.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

He had been deported from England, after all, so perhaps he would not consider himself a returnee like them.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

UK government officials are in talks with Pakistan about the possibility of deporting a Rochdale grooming gang ringleader to the country.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

"But at the same time, I think twice. I don't want to be arrested by ICE," he said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers tasked with arresting and deporting undocumented foreign nationals.

From Barron's ● May 26, 2026

This isn’t a novel finding, but it shows how deporting noncriminal immigrants is economically counterproductive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

In other words, deporting law-abiding workers reduces job opportunities for American workers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

"I can't find out without asking questions that will give us away. We've decided we need to pause and regroup, now that they're deporting the Council's families."

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse