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."
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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:
Since then, the university has investigated the “Cornell Seven”—the seven frat brothers directly involved—and imposed discipline ranging from expulsion to compulsory essay writing.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
The sanctions for City have not yet been decided but potential punishments include expulsion from the league, points deductions and fines.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The likely punishment is uncertain but, according to Premier League rules, City could face a substantial points deduction, a fine or even expulsion from the top division.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Possible penalties include massive points deductions and expulsion from the Premier League.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Now I can feel in my bones the meaning of that ugly word, expulsion.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
The FAI voted earlier this year to play the matches, having been concerned about potential sanctions, including fines and expulsions from competitions, if it had opted to boycott.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Then it flashes back to the 1490s expulsions of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, which triggered migrations to other European countries, North Africa and the New World.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Some are backing away from exclusionary discipline like suspensions and expulsions and have embraced schoolwide approaches that reward positive behavior and provide social skills practice through games and role-playing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026
Party officials said the expulsions were for breaching rules that ban members from joining any other political party in the UK or abroad.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
