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

Carmen Mejia, who was declared innocent after spending more than 20 years behind bars for a wrongful conviction in a child's death in Texas, faces deportation to her native Honduras because her immigration status lapsed while she was incarcerated, her attorneys said. —Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026

The White House is telling Republicans to refine their immigration messaging as the party stares down the midterm elections, a tacit acknowledgement that its hardline rhetoric about mass deportation risks alienating voters. —Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 11 Mar. 2026

Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, 42, was deported to Mexico last month despite having active deportation protection through the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. —Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026

Still, Jackson questioned if any ICE agents were receiving proper training, especially as the agency had nearly doubled its Denver-area staffing to roughly 200 deportation officers in the past year. —Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 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