deport

verb

de·​port di-ˈpȯrt 

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

Synonyms

• banish
• displace
• exile
• expatriate
• relegate
• transport

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

One school administrator serving many children of Mexican and Central American immigrants in the Midwest said their school has invited immigration attorneys to help parents formalize any plans for their children’s care in case they are deported. —Bianca Vázquez Toness, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2024

If they are massively deported, Mexico could see tens of thousands of its countrymen and women deported home without jobs, no longer able to send the remittances that keep many Mexican households afloat. —Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024

Some of the Haitian migrants were eventually deported; others were allowed into the U.S. to pursue asylum claims and given notices to appear in court in a backlogged immigration system that can take years to resolve a case. —Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 26 Nov. 2024

With no visas permitting them to perform, they were confined to the boat, but Douglas got a local newspaper interested, prompting a swell of support on their behalf and a moment of musical glory before they were deported. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Nov. 2024

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

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