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.
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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
- expellable adjective
- expellee noun
- expeller noun
- reexpel verb (used with object)
- unexpellable adjective
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”
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.
Before initiating military action to expel Iraqi invaders from Kuwait, President George H.W.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026
Circuit Court of Appeals requires an “explicit” order of removal before the government can expel a noncitizen; an implication gleaned from a separate order cannot suffice.
From Slate • Dec. 12, 2025
The woman cried and begged guards for days after to help her get pills to expel the fetuses — help that did not come before Pineda left the facility.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025
"This decision to expel WFP's country director and emergency coordinator comes at a pivotal time," it said.
From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025
In a way, I guess thkt was the best thank- you anyone could give us, because if they admitted we’d snuck out of camp to do the quest, they’d have to expel us.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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.
