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."
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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:
Fernández had been booked minutes earlier for dissent, and the second yellow card led to his expulsion, forcing Argentina to finish shorthanded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
"Ample evidence demonstrates that baby rattlers, like adults, can control their venom expulsion, the adults possess and deliver far more venom when biting, and the adults cause substantially more severe symptoms in snakebite victims."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
Countermeasures include visa denials and expulsion for foreign nationals, seizure of their assets in China and restrictions on their ability to transact with Chinese counterparts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
And there is the urban heating effect, caused by the expulsion of hot air onto the street.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
At first his expulsion left him feeling like a man without a home, much the way it had been in his childhood.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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
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
The WFP said the expulsions came a "pivotal time" as humanitarian needs in Sudan had "never been greater with more than 24 million people facing acute food insecurity".
From BBC ● Oct. 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
I was in a pool of my own foul expulsions.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
