expel

verb

ex·​pel ik-ˈspel 

expelled; expelling

transitive verb

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

ik-ˈspe-lə-bəl 

adjective

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.

Synonyms

• banish
• boot (out)
• bounce
• cast out
• chase
• dismiss
• drum (out)
• eject
• extrude
• kick out
• oust
• out
• rout
• run off
• throw out
• turf (out) [chiefly British]
• turn out

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

Only five times in history has a member of the U.S. House of Representatives been expelled. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 24 Nov. 2023

Two-thirds of the House would have to vote to expel Santos for the resolution to pass. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Nov. 2023

The effort to expel Santos from Congress, which would require support from two-thirds of House members, is gaining steam among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, per NBC’s Capitol Hill team. —Mark Murray, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2023

While an earlier effort (led by New York Republicans) to expel Santos from Congress failed in the House on Nov. 1, another expulsion resolution was introduced on Friday by Republican Michael Guest, chairman of the House Ethics Committee. —Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023

Only five members of the House have been expelled in the body’s history. —Michael Gold, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023

Santos easily survived a vote earlier this month to expel him from the House as most Republicans and 31 Democrats opted to withhold punishment while both his criminal trial and the House Ethics Committee investigation continued. —Kevin Freking, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023

If the expulsion had been successful, Santos would have become just the sixth House member to be expelled from Congress. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2023

These attacks resemble the violence carried out by right-wing Lebanese militias in 1982 and 1983, which threatened and expelled Palestinian populations in Sidon—again under the IDF’s watch. —Sarah E. Parkinson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

expel

verb

ex·​pel ik-ˈspel 

expelled; expelling

1

: to drive or force out

expel air from the lungs

2

: to force to leave usually by official action

expelled from school