noun
Other Word Forms
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.
Two months after his attack on Sumner, the House voted on an expulsion motion against Brooks, but it failed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
The French foreign ministry responded by summoning Madagascar's charge d'affaires in Paris, to "vigorously protest" over the expulsion of its official, rejecting "any accusations of destabilising the regime".
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
Three members of Congress — two Democrats and a Republican — resigned within days of one another as they faced calls for their expulsion due to their alleged misconduct.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., resigned just minutes before a committee was set to vote on a recommendation for her expulsion from the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026
Nevertheless, as she fussed and fumed about my wicked desires, I kept my expression pleasant, the same as 1 did in the halls of Central High in order to avoid expulsion.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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.
