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 And if there was any doubt as to whether the judges liked him or not, it should now be banished by Kristen’s genuine devastation and Tom urging him over for a hug on the way out. Caroline Framke, Vulture, 30 May 2025 Larkin and Davis credited their former manager for much of the success the team had after Rose was banished from baseball. C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 15 May 2025 Negan banished him and seized control of the Dama’s minions. Charlie Mason, TVLine, 8 June 2025 Abbas has imprisoned or banished any possible rivals for power. Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for banish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banish
Verb
  • Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated, or disarmed and exiled.
    Yesica Fisch, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
  • Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight (Stallone), just after he is released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • Rodrigo is not the only celebrity who has outed herself as a stan.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 9 June 2025
  • Those who were outed would not only lose their jobs, but their names were often published in newspapers, which could cost them their families and their livelihoods.
    Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
Verb
  • Southampton were relegated from the Premier League in April with seven games remaining.
    Cerys Jones, New York Times, 19 June 2025
  • The other half, the humanistic component that transforms good organizations into great ones and sustainable success into legacy, has been relegated to the background, often dismissed as too soft, too unmeasurable, or too idealistic for serious business consideration.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • Kiser's attorneys also filed a notice to dismiss some agencies from the lawsuit, and the court sealed a declaration Kiser wrote about this case.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 18 June 2025
  • Operation Ajax, a joint CIA-British operation, convinced the Shah of Iran, the country’s monarch, to dismiss Mossadegh and drive him from office by force.
    Jeffrey Fields, The Conversation, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • Nevertheless, the administration did deport him to El Salvador on May 7 . . .
    Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 26 June 2025
  • He was deported on March 15 and was returned on June 6.
    Nate Raymond, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Cunningham was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected for the initial foul, and Sheldon and Allen were ejected for fighting.
    Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2025
  • The sides were warned that another hit batter could result in an ejection, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was ejected.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • Land Power vividly shows the lasting consequences of this redistribution of land, for instance in the case of the Cahuilla Indians of California’s Coachella Valley, a people first confined to reservations and then evicted from even those lands in the 1950s.
    Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • Months or even years can pass before the owner of the property finally succeeds in evicting the squatters.
    Chris West, Baltimore Sun, 12 June 2025
Verb
  • Much like the rest of the lineup, Lindor is also chasing pitches outside of the zone.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 June 2025
  • Until a pack of infected come upon him, chasing him down a winding country road.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Banish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banish. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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