deport

verb

de·​port di-ˈpȯrt 

dē-

deported; deporting; deports

transitive verb

1

[Latin deportare]

a

: to send (a foreign-born noncitizen) out of the country by legal order : to subject to deportation

b

: to remove (someone or something) : displace

… over two hundred miners … were forcibly deported from their homes …

—Zechariah Chafee

2

: to behave or comport (oneself) especially in accord with a code

Synonyms of deport

• exile
• banish
• relegate
• evict

Choose the Right Synonym for deport

banish, exile, deport, transport mean to remove by authority from a state or country.

banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

deport implies sending out of the country a noncitizen who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged adverse to the public welfare.

migrants may be deported

transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

behave, conduct, deport, comport, acquit mean to act or to cause oneself to do something in a certain way.

behave may apply to the meeting of a standard of what is proper or decorous.

the children behaved in church

conduct implies action or behavior that shows the extent of one's power to control or direct oneself.

conducted herself with unfailing good humor

deport implies behaving so as to show how far one conforms to conventional rules of discipline or propriety.

the hero deported himself in accord with the code of chivalry

comport suggests conduct measured by what is expected or required of one in a certain class or position.

comported themselves as gentlemen

acquit applies to action under stress that deserves praise or meets expectations.

acquitted herself well in her first assignment

Examples of deport in a Sentence

Thousands of immigrants had been illegally deported.

deported them back to their country of birth

Recent Examples on the Web

Human rights groups have criticized plans to deport migrants to centers or prisons in third countries, arguing that European nations cannot guarantee their rights will be respected there. — Claudia Ciobanu, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

In an unsigned email, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the department could not comment on active investigations but reinforced its commitment to charging and deporting undocumented immigrants who have unlawfully voted. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026

Some immigrants have been deported or accepted the government’s offer to leave the country rather than wait for a federal judge to rule on their freedom. — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026

More than 200 people were deported to Haiti in late August on two different flights. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French deporter, from Latin deportare to carry away, from de- + portare to carry — more at fare

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for deport

• abort
• airport
• alport
• athwart
• carport
• comport
• consort
• disport
• distort
• escort
• exhort
• extort

Kids Definition

deport

verb

de·​port di-ˈpō(ə)rt 

-ˈpȯ(ə)rt

1

: to cause (oneself) to act in a certain way : conduct

deported themselves well in public

2

: to force (a person who is not a citizen) to leave a country

deportation

ˌdē-ˌpōr-ˈtā-shən, 

-ˌpȯr-

noun

deportee

ˌdē-ˌpōr-ˈtē, 

-ˌpȯr-

noun

Legal Definition

deport

transitive verb

de·​port di-ˈpōrt 

: to send (an alien) out of a country by order of deportation compare exclude

deportable adjective