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:
Fedorova, who has also written for Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper, said France had ordered her expulsion under an "emergency procedure".
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
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
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
On the third Sunday after Snowball’s expulsion, the animals were somewhat surprised to hear Napoleon announce that the windmill was to be built after all.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
She launched a legal fight that has led to expulsions, suspensions and now a lawsuit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Then it flashes back to the 1490s expulsions of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, which triggered migrations to other European countries, North Africa and the New World.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Some are backing away from exclusionary discipline like suspensions and expulsions and have embraced schoolwide approaches that reward positive behavior and provide social skills practice through games and role-playing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026
Following Sansal's jailing, French officials arrested Algerian influencers in France on "terror" propaganda charges, and there were tit-for-tat expulsions of officials working in both countries.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 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.
