expel

verb

ex·​pel ik-ˈspel 

expelled; expelling

transitive verb

1

: to force out : eject

expelled the smoke from her lungs

2

: to force to leave (a place, an organization, etc.) by official action : take away rights or privileges of membership

was expelled from college

expellable

ik-ˈspe-lə-bəl 

adjective

Did you know?

To expel is to drive out, and its usual noun is expulsion. Expel is similar to eject, but expel suggests pushing out while eject suggests throwing out. Also, ejecting may only be temporary: the player ejected from a game may be back tomorrow, but the student expelled from school is probably out forever.

Synonyms

• banish
• boot (out)
• bounce
• cast out
• chase
• dismiss
• drum (out)
• eject
• extrude
• kick out
• oust
• out
• rout
• run off
• throw out
• turf (out) [chiefly British]
• turn out

Choose the Right Synonym for expel

eject, expel, oust, evict mean to drive or force out.

eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

Examples of expel in a Sentence

The club may expel members who do not follow the rules.

She was expelled from school for bad behavior.

expel air from the lungs

Recent Examples on the Web

Last month, a Beverly Hills middle school expelled five students who used generative AI to create fake nude images of classmates. —Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024

When ocean temperatures rise, corals get stressed and their algae get expelled. —Ryan Kellman, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024

Under the pandemic-era rule known as Title 42, in place until May 2023, Border Patrol agents could expel migrants on public health grounds. —Caitlin Babcock, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024

Last month, a school in Beverly Hills expelled five students who had made nonconsensual deepfakes of 16 of their classmates. —Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024

At the start of Syria’s civil war, in 2011, the League of Arab States expelled Syria, and many Arab governments cut ties with Assad. —Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024

In September, the North Macedonian government expelled a high-ranking Russian priest and three Russian diplomats, accusing them of spying. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024

In January, five Beverly Hills eighth-graders were expelled for their involvement in the creation and sharing of fake nude pictures of classmates. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Since the beginning of the year, the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, has expelled more than 30,000 Haitians to Haiti, according to data from the United Nations International Organization for Migration, which tracks deportations. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English expellen, from Latin expellere, from ex- + pellere to drive — more at felt

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

expel

verb

ex·​pel ik-ˈspel 

expelled; expelling

1

: to drive or force out

expel air from the lungs

2

: to force to leave usually by official action

expelled from school