expel
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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to eject or drive out with force
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to deprive of participation in or membership of a school, club, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reexpelverb (used with object)
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expelleenoun
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expellableadjective
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expellernoun
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unexpellableadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have expelledperfect
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have been expellingperfect progressive
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has expelledperfect 3rd person singular
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am expellingprogressive 1st person singular
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is expellingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are expellingprogressive
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has been expellingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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expelssingular 3rd person
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expellingparticiple
Past
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had expelledperfect
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expelledparticiple
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expelledsimple
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were expellingprogressive plural
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was expellingprogressive singular
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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.
You can then keep your retirement funds—even if you abuse your position, skip Dodge before Congress can expel you, or serve a prison stint.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
It is used to end pregnancies through 10 weeks gestation in combination with the drug misoprostol, which stimulates contractions and softens the cervix, allowing tissue to expel.
From Barron's • May 10, 2026
The announcement made her the third member of Congress in the last week to resign after allegations of misconduct and a possible vote to expel them from the US House of Representatives.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
On Monday, he and former Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, another congressman accused of inappropriate relationships with staff, resigned amid a bipartisan push led by two women to expel them from office.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
Polly huddled in the wagon, wishing she knew a way to vent the anger that she needed to expel.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
