BANISH Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

banish

verb

ˈba-nish

Definition of banish

as in to exile

to force to leave a country in the old days, criminals were sometimes banished to distant lands

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to out

to drive or force out permanently banished the troublemakers from the youth recreational center

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of banish In this charming graphic novel, the mischievous Norse god Loki gets banished to mid-Guard—AKA Earth—as punishment and must adjust to a month of life as an 11-year-old boy and document his journey in a journal. — Kavya Dhillon, Parents, 19 Sep. 2026 The Pentagon has also effectively banished most news organizations from its facilities and otherwise restricted access. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 Madeline — a Faithful through and through — was then banished due to Kriste’s questionable hearing with 13 out of 21 votes… a truly terrible way to go. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026 Shoemaker said tribes have broad civil authority over non-Natives on tribal land, including to banish them. — Savannah Peters, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for banish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for banish

Verb

Conversely, what appeared to be an inappropriate relationship with an NFL coach might have doomed Diana Russini’s career at The Athletic, but doesn’t appear likely to exile her from the industry.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026
The outlet notes that at the same referendum, male heirs of Italy’s last king (aka sons of the Savoy family) were exiled and barred from ever entering the country.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of exile

Verb

Bunnie Xo’s post-divorce fun is raising eyebrows after a cozy Waffle House outing with 24-year-old reality star Dylan Wolf sent fans into a frenzy over their age gap.

— Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian stepped out for a very rare family outing with their two daughters.

— Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of out

Verb

By naming the product of two mergers Skydance, David Ellison relegates two of Hollywood’s founding studios to a sub-brand stew and attempts to erase a bunch of controversial hires.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
This is not something that’s relegated to a few institutions.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of relegate

Verb

The complaint escalates the department’s battle with the federal judiciary, which has halted administration priorities, dismissed high-profile prosecutions and accused government lawyers in some cases of failing to comply with court orders.

— Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
The state did not seek to dismiss allegations related to Morrissey’s statements to the media or to her agreement to log a cache of bullets under a separate case number, functionally hiding them from the defense.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

Nazis wanted to deport Veria’s entire Jewish community, and Daniel and his father escaped from a synagogue after police blocked its entrance.

— Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
The Venezuelan national’s lawyer noted that the court date has effectively barred ICE from being able to deport her client before then.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of deport

Verb

Perdomo Torres was ejected from the van and thrown to the ground, breaking his leg, ankle and hand.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Smith, who was riding in the left lane, was ejected from the bike and hit the pavement, suffering severe injuries, according to police.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of eject

Browse Nearby Words

bang up

banish

banished

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Banish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banish. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of banish

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

adventitious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes