Synonyms of banish

banish

verb

ˈba-nish 

1

as in to exile

to force to leave a country

in the old days, criminals were sometimes banished to distant lands

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exile
• relegate
• deport
• evict
• transport
• eliminate
• displace
• expel
• dismiss
• exclude
• expatriate
• eject
• run out
• cast out
• oust
• spurn
• kick out
• ostracize
• excommunicate
• reject
• repudiate
• expulse
• dispossess
• throw out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• receive
• accept
• admit
• repatriate
• naturalize
• take in
• entertain
• shelter
• harbor
• house

2

as in to out

to drive or force out

permanently banished the troublemakers from the youth recreational center

Synonyms & Similar Words

• out
• dismiss
• eject
• chase
• expel
• evict
• remove
• oust
• cast out
• kick out
• extrude
• drum (out)
• sack
• run off
• rout
• boot (out)
• turf (out)
• throw out
• turn out
• bounce
• ostracize
• exile
• send packing
• fire
• dispossess
• give one the gate
• shut out
• deport
• displace
• read out
• can
• terminate
• axe
• expatriate
• deforce
• pink-slip
• retire
• ax
• muster out
• defenestrate
• discharge
• release
• cashier

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• receive
• accept
• take
• admit
• take in
• welcome
• entertain
• shelter
• house
• harbor
• lodge

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb banish contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of banish are deport, exile, and transport. While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

When is it sensible to use deport instead of banish?

The synonyms deport and banish are sometimes interchangeable, but deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare.

illegal aliens will be deported

When would exile be a good substitute for banish?

Although the words exile and banish have much in common, exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

In what contexts can transport take the place of banish?

In some situations, the words transport and banish are roughly equivalent. However, transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of banish

Any input would help. – Visiting Accident Dear Visiting: Don’t banish yourself just yet. —R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 24 June 2025

Softening those characters for present-day sensibilities banishes what little edge there was and leaves everything feeling over-bright in a restless and relentless production. —David Benedict, Variety, 24 June 2025

When banished to Mantua, Tom Holland’s Romeo took to the roof of the Duke of York’s. —Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025

Disgraced female Wakandan warrior Noni (voiced by Winnie Harlow), who has been banished from the kingdom’s female elite forces the Dora Milaje for disobedience, is dispatched on a mission to track-down the general and bring him back. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 June 2025