noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of expulsion
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin expulsiōn- (stem of expulsiō ), equivalent to expuls ( us ) driven out (past participle of expellere to expel ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Don't ever make a joke about a bomb on an airplane, if you don't want to risk expulsion. Expulsion is being kicked out of something, like a club, a school, or an airplane. If a Girl Scout ate all the cookies she'd already sold, she might face expulsion from her Girl Scout troop, and an unruly high school student who threatens to hit a teacher risks expulsion from school. Historically, many religious and minority groups faced expulsion from countries where their beliefs weren't tolerated. In fact, the Latin root word of expulsion is expellere, "to drive out."
Vocabulary lists containing expulsion
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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:
In an editorial, Le Monde said the French authorities were slow to react on Fedorova's case, adding the expulsion order was not meant to silence her.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
By following Swift J1727.8−1613 through an entire outburst, astronomers were able to observe nearly the full cycle of feeding, transformation, and expulsion.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
A recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling put some limits on the government’s ability to immediately send back migrants intercepted at sea, though legal experts told Reuters that this does not prevent their eventual expulsion.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
Fernández had been booked minutes earlier for dissent, and the second yellow card led to his expulsion, forcing Argentina to finish shorthanded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Suddenly he straightened and walked on with a single expulsion of breath.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Mexican officials believe the expulsions have helped Sheinbaum avoid U.S. intervention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
Outside the hall, as the wind whipped in off the Mersey, a small group of protesters sought to highlight the expulsions.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2025
Following Sansal's jailing, French officials arrested Algerian influencers in France on "terror" propaganda charges, and there were tit-for-tat expulsions of officials working in both countries.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
Also replaced were eight disgraced military commanders, whose expulsions from the party over severe disciplinary violations and “duty-related crimes” were announced last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
The e-mailed stories ranged from suspensions and expulsions for “antisocial behavior” to censorship of student publications to new restrictions on computing, Web browsing, and especially gaming.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
