expel
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to drive or force out or away; discharge or eject.
to expel air from the lungs; to expel an invader from a country.
-
to cut off from membership or relations.
to expel a student from a college.
- Synonyms:
- excommunicate, exile, dismiss, oust
verb
-
to eject or drive out with force
-
to deprive of participation in or membership of a school, club, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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expelleenoun
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expellernoun
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reexpelverb (used with object)
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expellableadjective
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unexpellableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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expelsimple
-
expelssimple
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have expelledperfect
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has expelledperfect
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am expellingprogressive
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are expellingprogressive
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is expellingprogressive
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have been expellingperfect progressive
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has been expellingperfect progressive
Past
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expelledsimple
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had expelledperfect
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was expellingprogressive
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were expellingprogressive
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had been expellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of expel
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English expellen, from Latin expellere “to drive out, drive away,” equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + pellere “to push, drive”
Explanation
Getting expelled from a school is a step beyond suspension. It means that you are asked to leave and never come back. In other words, you have been kicked out. More benignly, expel can mean discharge: if you're having a water-fountain spitting-fight, you are hoping to expel water from your mouth in the direction of your opponent before they can get you. But don't do this; you won't get expelled from school, but the germs in your body will be expelled all over your friends.
Vocabulary lists containing expel
Power Prefix: ex-
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 5
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"The way the fridges work is to cool everything down and expel the hot air," which normally works well in the ambient air in the UK.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Representatives from two local tribes draw a parallel between the gather and past efforts to expel their people from their ancestral lands, and say the horses are intertwined with their culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
By helping neurons expel excess toxic Tau, Arc appears to allow damaged cells to survive longer.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026
In April 1944, when soldiers pounded on the door late at night to expel her family from their home, Edith put on her favorite dress—blue silk, with a matching suede belt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Were they trying to lure me to a trial and expel me?
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
The one outside acts as a condenser, which expels the unwanted heat into the air outside.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Desire expels despair, however, when Marty meets his brother’s new bride.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
After a series of mysterious analog rumblings, the booth expels a tiny strip of prints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2025
Salting the curds expels more whey and moisture.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2024
Serena Joy, who has been holding her breath, expels it.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
This energy release, often called heating, plays an important role in determining how matter is expelled during stellar explosions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
Despite a US judge dropping the criminal charges against him in May, he is still at risk of being expelled.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Regan said he wanted people who had been expelled from the securities business because they knew how to sell and were motivated to earn money, according to Liddle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Jiang Duntao, a former Zibo, China, Communist Party official, was expelled and faces prosecution for saddling the city with onerous debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
The letter Mr. Tuchman sent said they would be expelled if there were further incidents.
From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt
If VAR had been available, Scottish referee Hugh Dallas could have corrected the missed call, awarding a penalty and giving Frings a red card, expelling him for the final 40 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
In a statement released on X on Tuesday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said the government was expelling Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani and declared him persona non grata.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
For years, Canada and India have had bitter relations, expelling diplomats and stalling trade talks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Since then, the Traoré-led junta has tightened its grip on the country, expelling French forces, adopting an assertive nationalist stance and recently reinstating the death penalty, including for crimes of high treason.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026
“It should acclimatize in just another second. Keep expelling gas.”
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
