deportation

American  

[dee-pawr-tey-shuhn, -pohr-] / ˌdi pɔrˈteɪ ʃən, -poʊr- /

noun

• deportations
  plural

1. the lawful expulsion of an alien or other person from a country.

2. an act or instance of deporting.

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deportation British  

/ ˌdiːpɔːˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of expelling an alien from a country; expulsion

2. the act of transporting someone from his country; banishment

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondeportation
  noun
• prodeportation
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• deportations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deportation

First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin dēportātiōn- (stem of dēportātiō ), equivalent to dēportāt(us) (past participle of dēportāre; see deport, -ate ¹) + -iōn- noun suffix; see -ion

Explanation

Deportation is the act of throwing a foreigner out of a country, whether they are a resident or an intruder. If you've ever heard that someone was deported — expelled from a country — then you can probably guess that deportation is the act of that happening. Deportation can involve a resident of a country who is tossed out because of a crime. Often, deportation happens to people who enter a country illegally and are caught. A citizen of a country is usually safe from deportation. Deportation means something close to exile. When you see the word deportation, think “Goodbye.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deportation deportations

In interviews, McClain Delaney said she regretted the vote and that at the time, she didn’t envision the Trump administration carrying out its mass deportation promises.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

The judge told Khan his sentence would mean automatic deportation.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

While earlier cases primarily involved ICE pursuing immigrants with final deportation orders, the arrests now involve people with expired visas but another form of legal status pending, such as a green card or asylum application.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The American Dream and Promise Act offers pathways to permanent status for Dreamers, those who were eligible for temporary protected status, and certain other highly vetted law-abiding noncitizens who now risk arrest, detention, and deportation.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

The action likely saved many Jews from arrest and deportation to the extermination camps.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

The central controversy of Arendt’s career concerned her claims about Jewish leaders’ roles in compiling lists and administering deportations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

In the nine months between October and June, 356,389 people have been deported, compared with 319,980 deportations for the 12 prior months.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The Chicago-born pontiff has made the defence of migrants one of the pillars of his papacy, like his predecessor Francis, praising those who help the needy and decrying mass deportations in the United States.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

There was more — a lot more, from the Epstein files and the Iran war to incompetence, lying and deportations.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

The deportations continued and the ghetto began to seem like a ghost town.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• displacement
• eviction
• expulsion
• extradition
• removal