excommunicate

American  

[eks-kuh-myoo-ni-keyt, eks-kuh-myoo-ni-kit, -keyt] / ˌɛks kəˈmyu nɪˌkeɪt, ˌɛks kəˈmyu nɪ kɪt, -ˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

excommunicated, excommunicating

1. to cut off from communion with a church or exclude from the sacraments of a church by ecclesiastical sentence.

2. to exclude or expel from membership or participation in any group, association, etc..

   an advertiser excommunicated from a newspaper.

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noun

1. an excommunicated person.

adjective

1. cut off from communion with a church; excommunicated.

excommunicate British  

verb

1. (tr) to sentence (a member of the Church) to exclusion from the communion of believers and from the privileges and public prayers of the Church

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adjective

1. having incurred such a sentence

noun

1. an excommunicated person

Other Word Forms

• excommunicable adjective
• excommunication noun
• excommunicative adjective
• excommunicator noun
• unexcommunicated adjective

Etymology

Origin of excommunicate

1375–1425; late Middle English excommunicaten (v.) < Late Latin excommūnicātus literally, put out of the community (past participle of excommūnicāre ), equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + commūn ( is ) common, public + -ic- (by analogy with commūnicāre to communicate ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

He did this by threatening to excommunicate from the Church those bishops who refused to comply with his wishes.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2025

After the service, journalists were asked to leave while members voted on a move of “church discipline” to excommunicate Long under the church’s bylaws.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2021

“They can’t excommunicate me because I am not going anywhere,” she says.

From New York Times • May 22, 2020

In 1784, Methodists made plans to excommunicate all members who had not freed their slaves within the next two years.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Such a pair were once sent with bulls to excommunicate Barnabas Visconti, but Barnabas only made them eat their bulls—parchment, ribbons, leaden seals and all.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White