eject

verb \ i-ˈjekt \

Definition of eject

transitive verb

1 a :to throw out especially by physical force, authority, or influence

ejected the player from the game

b :to evict from property

2 :to throw out or off from within

ejects the empty cartridges

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ejectable

play \i-ˈjek-tə-bəl\ adjective

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ejection

play \i-ˈjek-shən\ noun

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ejective

play \i-ˈjek-tiv\ adjective

See eject defined for English-language learners

See eject defined for kids

Examples of eject in a Sentence

The machine automatically ejected the CD.
The pilot ejected when his plane caught fire.

Recent Examples of eject from the Web

A passenger in a Ford Mustang, she was partially ejected through the windshield when the driver ran a red light and crashed into a fence.

— susan carpenter, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside The Audacious Plan to Eliminate Traffic Deaths in L.A.," 21 Aug. 2017
Montana, the driver of the John Deere vehicle, was ejected from his seat and died.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Coroner identifies John Deere utility vehicle driver killed Wednesday in Middletown," 18 Aug. 2017
At a Toros game, the mascots sometimes get ejected.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tijuana baseball a wild, winning adventure for Toros," 15 Aug. 2017
Instead of preventing acts of violence against their countrymen, their denunciation only added to the French fury against Belgian refugees, who were jeered at, spat upon, beaten up, and ejected from restaurants and hotels.

— Longreads, "Whose Fault Was Dunkirk?," 7 Aug. 2017
This wind can be ejected out of galaxies into intergalactic space.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "The Intergalactic Winds That Built the Milky Way," 27 July 2017
Matter ejected by them—particularly sulphur dioxide, which reacts with atmospheric gases to form sulphate aerosols—reflects sunlight back into space, cooling the air beneath.

— The Economist, "VolcanologyEvents in Iceland explain years of famine in Europe’s Dark Ages," 18 July 2017
Tunicates scour the currents for the tastiest bits of flotsam, sucking the water in through their incurrent siphon and ejecting it through an excurrent siphon.

— jennifer frazer, Scientific American Blog Network, "Alien Creature Swarming Oregon's Coast Is Actually a Close Relative [Video]," 10 July 2017
The chief suspect is Russia, according to three people familiar with the continuing effort to eject the hackers from the computer networks.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "So Russia Is One of Us Now?," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eject.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of eject

Middle English, from Latin ejectus, past participle of eicere, from e- + jacere

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

eject Synonyms

Synonyms

banish, boot (out), bounce, cast out, chase, dismiss, drum (out), expel, extrude, kick out, oust, out, rout, run off, throw out, turf (out) [chiefly British], turn out, give one the gate [slang], send packing

Related Words

deforce, deport, displace, dispossess, evict, exile, expatriate, ostracize, read out, shut out; ax (or axe), can, cashier, defenestrate, discharge, fire, muster out, pink-slip, release, remove, retire, sack, terminate

Near Antonyms

accept, admit, receive, take, take in; welcome; entertain, harbor, house, lodge, shelter

Synonym Discussion of eject

eject, expel, oust, evict mean to drive or force out. eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

- ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

- a student expelled from college

oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

- police ousted the squatters

evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

- evicted for nonpayment of rent

EJECT Defined for English Language Learners

eject

verb

Definition of eject for English Language Learners

: to force (someone) to leave
: to push (something) out
: to use a special device that throws you out and away from an airplane in an emergency : to use an ejection seat

EJECT Defined for Kids

eject

verb \ i-ˈjekt \

Definition of eject for Students

ejected; ejecting

:to force or push out

He was ejected from the meeting.

The machine ejected the tape.

Word Root of eject

The Latin word jacere, meaning “to throw,” and its form jactus give us the root ject. Words from the Latin jacere have something to do with throwing. To reject is to throw back or away. To eject is to throw out. To inject is to throw one thing into another. To project is to throw forward onto a surface.