deportation

noun

de·​por·​ta·​tion ˌdē-ˌpȯr-ˈtā-shən 

-pər-

plural deportations

: an act or instance of deporting

especially : the removal from a country by an executive government agency of a foreign-born noncitizen (such as one whose presence violates immigration laws or is ruled detrimental to the public welfare)

Synonyms of deportation

• expulsion

Examples of deportation in a Sentence

the deportation of the Jews from Spain in 1492

Recent Examples on the Web

One possible factor for the influx is a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling that eased deportation rules for migrants entering Ceuta or Melilla. — Miguel MacIas, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026

Almost 33,000 deportation orders were issued in January 2025. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026

Stephanie Delia, the incoming president of the Haitian American Lawyers Association of New York, told NY1 that TPS holders should prepare now for possible deportations. — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026

For now, they’ve been shielded from deportation and have been able to work while their application moves through the system. — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for deportation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Legal Definition

deportation

noun

de·​por·​ta·​tion ˌdē-ˌpōr-ˈtā-shən 

: an act or instance of deporting

specifically : the removal from a country of an alien whose presence is illegal or detrimental to the public welfare compare exclusion