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as in to exhale
to let or force out of the lungs asked the patient to expel a deep breath

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb expel contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of expel are eject, evict, and oust. While all these words mean "to drive or force out," expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

When would eject be a good substitute for expel?

While the synonyms eject and expel are close in meaning, eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

When could evict be used to replace expel?

The words evict and expel are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

When is it sensible to use oust instead of expel?

While in some cases nearly identical to expel, oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expel Following the joint venture announcement, the French Federation of Clothing Retailers expelled Pimkie from its ranks. Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 22 Sep. 2025 If a student or college employee is found defacing or otherwise vandalizing the commemoration, the bill requires the institution to expel or fire them. John Toher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025 Abu Dhabi may expel Israel’s ambassador to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, a close confidante of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who shares his zeal for territorial expansionism. Monica Marks, Time, 19 Sep. 2025 There is a long history of tumult in American cricket, with USA Cricket Association - the previous governing body - expelled in 2017 after being suspended three times before that. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for expel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expel
Verb
  • Reeve was ejected late in the fourth quarter of that Game 3 contest.
    Jill Martin, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
  • These plumes are known to eject their material thousands of miles from the moon’s surface.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Andrew Garfield was originally cast as the creature but dropped out in January 2024 due to scheduling conflicts.
    Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Mriya, which was slated to fly over Venice carrying a hard drive with a database including information on all the participating artists, casting a fleeting shadow over the Giardini.
    Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Such disputes have been a feature of the pay-TV business for decades, and occasionally erupt into the public sphere.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
  • As gunfire erupted, her sister begged her to stay inside the vehicle, but Robleto stepped out, trying to understand what was happening.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • By the time Melanie Fiona hit the stage at Tower Grove Park, the air was thick with incense, barbecue smoke, and the sound of Black folks exhaling.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Only when brands slow down, replace hype with humility and address genuine human need do consumers finally exhale and truly mean it.
    Footwear News, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The burger diner chain, on social media, outed itself as being behind a billboard in Nashville, Tennessee, calling for the ouster of Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino.
    Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 23 Sep. 2025
  • One day later, Hailey was seen with her husband Justin Bieber on a lowkey family outing with their 13-month-old son, Jack Blues.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The series radiates warmth, celebrates flawed but generally well-meaning people—particularly men—coming together to learn how to show themselves and those around them the love everyone deserves.
    Judy Berman, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The stars will all burn out; the corpses of these stars will radiate all their heat away and cool to absolute zero; the stellar remnants will gravitationally interact, ejecting the majority of objects into intergalactic space, while the few remaining black holes grow to enormous sizes.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Having to spend your day punching up a crappy slide deck your colleague’s chatbot spit out is annoying, to be sure.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Others were spit on, bitten, placed in headlocks and verbally threatened with violence.
    Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • For Darnold, Thursday’s victory went some way to banishing demons from last season.
    Ben Morse, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The best clarifying shampoo can completely transform a lackluster shower routine, deep cleansing hair, exfoliating the scalp, and banishing excess oils and product buildup that leave strands flat, dull, or frizz-prone.
    Jenny Berg, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Expel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expel. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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