deport

verb

de·​port di-ˈpȯrt How to pronounce deport (audio)
dē-
deported; deporting; deports

transitive verb

1
[Latin deportare]
a
: to send out of the country by legal deportation
b
: to carry away
2
: to behave or comport (oneself) especially in accord with a code
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 an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare.

illegal aliens will 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 The museum in Amsterdam commemorates the 102,000 Jews deported from the Netherlands and killed in Nazi camps. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 Immigration authorities deported a Mexican citizen to his home country last month to face charges for murder and other crimes dating back decades. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2024 When Pat Murphy became director of the Casa del Migrante here in 2013, the shelter exclusively served men deported from the United States. Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024 Dangerous criminals who are in the U.S. must be caught and deported (or put in prison and then deported upon release). The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2024 Ba, 40, was deported from the U.S. with 131 compatriots in September after two months in detention, but thousands of other Senegalese have gained a foothold in America. Baba Ahmed, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2024 The United States deported just under 70,000 people in 1996, when Anthony went to prison, according to government data. Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 They were transported in vans to a nearby processing facility, where Border Patrol screens migrants for security concerns before deciding whether to deport them, transfer them to another agency or release them with a court notice. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2024 An escaped killer who entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time and location has been captured and deported, according to federal authorities. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deport.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of deport was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near deport

Cite this Entry

“Deport.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deport. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deport

verb
de·​port di-ˈpō(ə)rt How to pronounce deport (audio)
-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 How to pronounce deport (audio)
: to send (an alien) out of a country by order of deportation compare exclude
deportable adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on deport

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