banish

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 Their fear was never banished, only mastered. Jack Sheehan september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025 Their garage in Santa Rosa became exclusively a home for Campau’s tape collection, the cars banished to the driveway. Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025 The director also brought out Lorraine's rosemary beads, a signature of the character to help banish dark spirits. EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Certain Cleaning Supplies Often, cleaning supplies may be banished under the sink, and for the most part, Trosclair says this is just fine. Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for banish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banish
Verb
  • Ruthlessly exiling those players sent a clear message about the importance of squad harmony, but arguably handed the leverage in negotiations to buying clubs, driving down their prices and delaying their departures.
    James McNicholas, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Even when convicted or exiled, coup plotters may be later freed.
    Joe Wright, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Sports piracy has become so widespread that even professional athletes, like Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (who was spotted using Streameast in May 2024) and Seattle Seahawks' Tariq Woolen, have been outed as users.
    Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The star linebacker then made a spectacle of his final preseason outing with the team.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The basket of other updates will be relegated to an omni quarterly update.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • To make room, the 2025–26 campaign will promote two teams from the second tier while relegating just one through a new playoff system.
    Asli Pelit, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Despite lacking any legal education or experience, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year and intends to defend himself at trial.
    Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025
  • When retail loses money, it’s often dismissed as inexperience.
    Anmol Verma, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • On that June mission, all passengers on board the flotilla were detained off the coast, taken to Israel and later deported.
    Callum Sutherland, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The South Korean workers' treatment stands in stark contrast to the experiences of tens of thousands of Mexicans, Venezuelans and Guatemalans who face months in jail-like detention centers before being forcibly deported.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The fan was immediately ejected from Gainbridge Fieldhouse by security.
    Allison Smith, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • What the law changes Before SB 2929, referees and judges had to issue a verbal warning before ejecting a spectator.
    Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Talks of a potential lease sale come as Miami-Dade continues court proceedings to try and evict the Seaquarium from the county land.
    Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
  • By a vote of 3-2, the houseguests voted to evict Will.
    David Wysong, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • These calls -- known as swatting -- panicked at least a dozen schools as police rush to campuses, chasing phantom threats with many of them being racially motivated and targeting historically Black colleges and universities.
    ABC News, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
  • To be sure, more mutual fund companies are going to be chasing those assets on the precipice of a huge decision from the Securities and Exchange Commission which could allow every asset management company to offer an ETF share class of their funds.
    Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Banish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banish. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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