noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of expulsion
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin expulsiōn- (stem of expulsiō ), equivalent to expuls ( us ) driven out (past participle of expellere to expel ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Don't ever make a joke about a bomb on an airplane, if you don't want to risk expulsion. Expulsion is being kicked out of something, like a club, a school, or an airplane. If a Girl Scout ate all the cookies she'd already sold, she might face expulsion from her Girl Scout troop, and an unruly high school student who threatens to hit a teacher risks expulsion from school. Historically, many religious and minority groups faced expulsion from countries where their beliefs weren't tolerated. In fact, the Latin root word of expulsion is expellere, "to drive out."
Vocabulary lists containing expulsion
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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:
By following Swift J1727.8−1613 through an entire outburst, astronomers were able to observe nearly the full cycle of feeding, transformation, and expulsion.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
A recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling put some limits on the government’s ability to immediately send back migrants intercepted at sea, though legal experts told Reuters that this does not prevent their eventual expulsion.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
Fedorova's employers said they were astonished to learn of the expulsion order, which they said amounted to "a particularly serious infringement of freedom of expression".
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Southampton beat Middlesbrough over two legs in the play-off semi-final but, after Saints' expulsion, Boro were reinstated to the final and went on to lose to Hull City.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But after that horrifying day of the proclamation of the edict of expulsion, Mother takes down our mezuzah, which announces we are Jewish, to bring to our new home.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
The rush underscores growing anxiety among migrant communities -- many of whom lack proper documentation -- with rights groups warning of forced expulsions and limited legal protections.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Mexican officials believe the expulsions have helped Sheinbaum avoid U.S. intervention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
Party officials said the expulsions were for breaching rules that ban members from joining any other political party in the UK or abroad.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
Also replaced were eight disgraced military commanders, whose expulsions from the party over severe disciplinary violations and “duty-related crimes” were announced last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
Then he laughed without sound, without moving his lips; it was three short expulsions of breath forced upward through his nostrils by the heaving of his chest.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
