expel
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to drive or force out or away; discharge or eject.
to expel air from the lungs; to expel an invader from a country.
-
to cut off from membership or relations.
to expel a student from a college.
- Synonyms:
- excommunicate, exile, dismiss, oust
verb
-
to eject or drive out with force
-
to deprive of participation in or membership of a school, club, etc
Other Word Forms
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”
Explanation
Getting expelled from a school is a step beyond suspension. It means that you are asked to leave and never come back. In other words, you have been kicked out. More benignly, expel can mean discharge: if you're having a water-fountain spitting-fight, you are hoping to expel water from your mouth in the direction of your opponent before they can get you. But don't do this; you won't get expelled from school, but the germs in your body will be expelled all over your friends.
Vocabulary lists containing expel
Power Prefix: ex-
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 5
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
In April 1944, when soldiers pounded on the door late at night to expel her family from their home, Edith put on her favorite dress—blue silk, with a matching suede belt.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
While Maguire believes that Town could expel the demons of their last time in the top flight and survive relegation, he said recruitment would be key.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
"We're talking about the power to mass expel people who have done nothing wrong to countries that remain unsafe," said Ahilan Arulanantham, a lawyer representing the Syrian TPS holders in the case.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
On Monday, he and former Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, another congressman accused of inappropriate relationships with staff, resigned amid a bipartisan push led by two women to expel them from office.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
The Germans were running out of time to expel us, they argued .
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
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.
