expel

verb ex·pel \ ik-ˈspel \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of expel

expelled; expelling

1 : to force out : eject

expelled the smoke from her lungs

2 : to force to leave (a place, an organization, etc.) by official action : take away rights or privileges of membership

was expelled from college

—

expellable

play \ik-ˈspe-lə-bəl\ adjective

See expel defined for English-language learners

See expel defined for kids

Examples of expel in a Sentence

The club may expel members who do not follow the rules.
She was expelled from school for bad behavior.
expel air from the lungs

Recent Examples of expel from the Web

Donald Trump was not wrong in his tweet after the shooting which said: So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior.

— rochelle riley, Detroit Free Press, "What do most of America's mass shootings have in common? White, male culprits," 16 Feb. 2018
In response, Western governments — including the United States — expelled Russian diplomats (and/or spies) from their countries.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Russia Expels U.S. Diplomats, Asks to See Poisoned Spy’s Daughter," 29 Mar. 2018
Ecuador’s move comes after the U.S., Canada and more than a dozen European nations expelled Russian diplomats and intelligence officers in response to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.

— wiktor szary, WSJ, "Ecuador Punishes WikiLeaks Founder in London Embassy for Political Meddling," 28 Mar. 2018
Twenty-three Russian diplomats left Britain on Tuesday after they were expelled in response to the Salisbury attack.

— laura smith-spark, CNN, "Russia slams UK's Johnson for comparing Putin with Hitler," 22 Mar. 2018
Seth's resignation came eight days after The Republic published a story detailing allegations of procurement concerns raised by former Rep. Don Shooter as he was expelled on Feb. 1 from the House of Representatives.

— yvonne wingett sanchez, azcentral, "Official who resigned starts fund to 'expose/eliminate corruption' in state contracts," 21 Mar. 2018
Teachers and former classmates say Cruz had an angry disposition that led to him being expelled and flagged as a danger on school grounds.

— editors, USA TODAY, "5 things you need to know Thursday," 15 Feb. 2018
He had reportedly been expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Who is Nikolaus Cruz? Suspect in Parkland, Florida shooting is former student; 17 killed," 14 Feb. 2018
He was expelled in 2016 from his graduate studies program.

— david jesse, Detroit Free Press, "Lawyers: MSU not liable for distress caused by letting sex assault attacker back on campus," 13 Feb. 2018

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

Did You Know?

To expel is to drive out, and its usual noun is expulsion. Expel is similar to eject, but expel suggests pushing out while eject suggests throwing out. Also, ejecting may only be temporary: the player ejected from a game may be back tomorrow, but the student expelled from school is probably out forever.

Origin and Etymology of expel

Middle English expellen, from Latin expellere, from ex- + pellere to drive — more at felt

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

expel Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of expel

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

EXPEL Defined for English Language Learners

expel

verb

Definition of expel for English Language Learners

: to officially force (someone) to leave a place or organization
: to push or force (something) out

EXPEL Defined for Kids

expel

verb ex·pel \ ik-ˈspel \

Definition of expel for Students

expelled; expelling

1 : to force to leave

He was expelled from school.

2 : to force out

expel air from lungs

Word Root of expel

The Latin word pellere, meaning “to cause to move” or “to drive,” gives us the root pel. Words from the Latin pellere have something to do with driving or causing something to move. To propel is to drive forward. To compel is to drive someone to do something. To expel is to drive out. To repel is to drive back or away.