Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

banish

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of banish

1 to force to leave a country
  • in the old days, criminals were sometimes banished to distant lands
Synonyms of banish

deport, displace, exile, expatriate, relegate, transport
Words Related to banish

cast out, dismiss, eject, eliminate, evict, exclude, expel, expulse, kick out, oust, run out, throw out

excommunicate, ostracize, reject, repudiate, spurn

dispossess
Near Antonyms of banish

naturalize, repatriate

accept, admit, receive, take in

entertain, harbor, house, shelter
2 to drive or force out
  • permanently banished the troublemakers from the youth recreational center
Synonyms of banish

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

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
Phrases Synonymous with banish

give one the gate [slang], send packing
Near Antonyms of banish

accept, admit, receive, take, take in

welcome

entertain, harbor, house, lodge, shelter

Synonym Discussion of banish

banish, exile, deport, transport 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
exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.
    • a writer who exiled himself for political reasons
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
transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.
    • a convict who was transported to Australia

Learn More about banish

  1. See words that rhyme with banish Dictionary: Definition of banish Spanish Central: Translation of banish Nglish: Translation of banish for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of banish for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up banish? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

flounce

Listen to the pronounciation of flounce

to move with exaggerated bouncy motions

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. auspice Trump comments on North Korea rumors

  2. folderol Rees-Mogg dismisses Brexit changes

  3. reticent Mueller's team hesitant to testify

SEE ALL
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games