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 To help banish the endless procrastination, National Geographic’s 2027 list of 25 must-visit destinations for the year ahead is one of its most timely and experience-driven recommendations yet. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 The Industry actress was banished from Season 2 of The Celebrity Traitors last week and has reflected on her experience on the Studio Lambert series in an Instagram post. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 At that point, the group had botched its first two votes, mistakenly banishing two female faithfuls. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026 Shortly after King Charles stripped him of his titles and banished him from his home at Royal Lodge, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in office. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for banish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for banish

Verb

Hanuman introduces the brothers to Sugriva, who has been exiled from his kingdom by his elder brother, Vali.

— Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Karen would absolutely be a Catherine Zeta-Jones character who has been exiled to Arrakis following a particularly contentious divorce.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of exile

Verb

Some people condemned the work for outing Foucault as a fellow AIDS sufferer.

— Hilton Als, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
Group chats pulled from Nolan Wells' cellphone show what his friends said before and after the Mississippi teen vanished in early July following a boat outing with friends.

— Skyler Henry, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of out

Verb

Garver struggled offensively in Seattle compared with his time in Texas and was relegated to a backup role behind catcher Cal Raleigh.

— Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Instead, he’s often relegated to the role of good-faith interlocutor, trying his best to get to the truth of who Holmes and Evans are, the nature of their relationship, and their motivations for participating in this project.

— Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of relegate

Verb

Bacelar disputed the accusations and said the lawsuit is filled with recycled claims that were previously litigated and dismissed.

— Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Tyreek Hill was also a polarizing receiver who faced a 2014 domestic assault case that was dismissed and a 2019 child abuse probe, though no charges were filed.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismiss

Verb

Palacios, the first to be arrested, was deported from Jamaica to Colombia but would be arrested in Panama and extradited to the United States while in transit.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
According to Lumbre, her aunt spent a month at a detention facility in New Orleans before being deported to Lima, Peru.

— CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of deport

Verb

The theme park operator announced the extra safeguard less than two weeks after 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta died after being ejected from his seat on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.

— Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Where the investigation stands Preliminary information gathered at the scene from witnesses and employees indicated Kariem had been ejected from the ride, the Cobb County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit said.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of eject

Verb

Rather than chasing fancy titles or splashy paychecks throughout her career, she’s gravitated toward jobs that pushed her out of her comfort zone, forced her to take risks, and taught her to embrace a little chaos.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
At Fox, the viewer is the star, or at least the north star, the thing that everyone is chasing.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of chase

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 3 Nov. 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

candidate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'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

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes