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.
-
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
Derived Forms
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expelleenoun
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expellernoun
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reexpelverb (used with object)
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expellableadjective
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unexpellableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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expelsimple
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expelssimple
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have expelledperfect
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has expelledperfect
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am expellingprogressive
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are expellingprogressive
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is expellingprogressive
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have been expellingperfect progressive
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has been expellingperfect progressive
Past
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expelledsimple
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had expelledperfect
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was expellingprogressive
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were expellingprogressive
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had been expellingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
"The way the fridges work is to cool everything down and expel the hot air," which normally works well in the ambient air in the UK.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Representatives from two local tribes draw a parallel between the gather and past efforts to expel their people from their ancestral lands, and say the horses are intertwined with their culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
By helping neurons expel excess toxic Tau, Arc appears to allow damaged cells to survive longer.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026
You can then keep your retirement funds—even if you abuse your position, skip Dodge before Congress can expel you, or serve a prison stint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
“I was surprised they didn’t expel him,” said Henry’s mom.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
Desire expels despair, however, when Marty meets his brother’s new bride.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
When a black hole jet heats that gas or expels it entirely, the galaxy's ability to produce new stars can drop sharply.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 19, 2026
After a series of mysterious analog rumblings, the booth expels a tiny strip of prints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2025
Losing the Conservative whip essentially expels Mr Anderson from his party in Parliament.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2024
It was the mandrake, which fools say expels demons and makes women fruitful, but screams when pulled from the earth.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Lillian Gobitas, a 12-year-old Jehovah’s Witness, was expelled from school in 1935 for refusing to pledge allegiance to the American flag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
One man was summarily expelled after he posted a shot of Baby Guinness, a coffee-liqueur cocktail that looks like a stout but has no actual beer in it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Television channel T24 said on X that the 55-year-old politician, considered to be the main opposition challenger to Turkey's veteran President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had been "expelled from the courtroom... for disrupting order and discipline".
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
This energy release, often called heating, plays an important role in determining how matter is expelled during stellar explosions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
He said Seven and I should be expelled because we “started it,” and that Seven shouldn’t be allowed to graduate.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
If VAR had been available, Scottish referee Hugh Dallas could have corrected the missed call, awarding a penalty and giving Frings a red card, expelling him for the final 40 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
That has put pressure on Lebanon’s delicate sectarian balance, with some communities expelling the displaced Shiites or not allowing them to come in the first place for fear of being targeted by Israel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
India denied the allegations, which chilled ties between the two nations, and saw each expelling a string of diplomats in 2024.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
It was in 2024, not too long ago, that both countries were openly trading barbs, suspending visa services and expelling diplomats.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of rubble and loose chippings.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
