BANISHING Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

banishing

verb

present participle of banish

as in exiling

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dismissing

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 banishing At that point, the group had botched its first two votes, mistakenly banishing two female faithfuls. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026 After Hallet dies in a misguided clinic bust care of a banishing spell gone awry, the whole Owens clan is nearly destroyed. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026 Rhaenyra also makes the drastic decision of relieving Mysaria of her duties as master of whispers and banishing her from King’s Landing. — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2026 But being intellectually skeptical of something is not the same as banishing it from one’s existence. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 29 June 2026 Between the trauma his father inflicted on him, banishing him, calling him weak, giving him a scar and pitting him against his sister — along with his mother being taken — Zuko gives into his darker impulses. — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 The panel supports smooth, competitive esports gameplay with a fast 165Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time, together banishing motion blur. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026 For Removing Mildew & Musty Smells If your clothes have a mildewy, musty smell, then vinegar can save the day by banishing these unwanted odors. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 14 June 2026 This year’s sequel climaxes with Grace hijacking her second wedding to a Satanic heir by killing him and banishing his oligarchical cabal to hell. — Judy Berman, Time, 27 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for banishing

Verb

The government was executing and exiling Black citizens; some had escaped slavery.

— Claire Galofaro, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
The anti-Zionist project of ending Israel’s existence as a Jewish state implies killing, subjugating, or re-exiling more than half of the world’s Jewish population.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026

Definition of exiling

Verb

Things get even more alarming when Eidra can’t reach Tom Libby and reports start rolling in that Vaughn is dismissing everyone in Trowbridge’s government who’d had a significant relationship with Kate and her team.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Citing 2026 laureate Navi Pillay—known for charging Israel with genocide and dismissing free speech—Schatz warns the award now rewards ideological insider posturing rather than genuine efforts to achieve international peace.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismissing

Verb

Of course, other keyboard types were cheaper to produce, relegating Hall-effect keyboards to an afterthought for decades.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
However, relegating City to the second-tier Championship League would be a punishment that could hurt the rest of the league.

— Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of relegating

Verb

Unscrewing its top reveals a small pin that can be used for punching holes, ejecting a SIM card, or simply as a toothpick.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026
The crash triggered an emergency response near Morro Bay, where the pilot was rescued after ejecting from the aircraft.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of ejecting

Verb

The Omar investigation, the Journal reported, is explicitly aimed at stripping Omar of her citizenship — and thus her ability to hold office — and deporting her.

— Cameron Peters, Vox, 15 Oct. 2026
Last year, the Republican administration began suddenly terminating the legal status of thousands of international students, detaining and deporting many of them.

— Annie Ma, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of deporting

Verb

Businesses that rediscover its values will gain what their velocity-chasing competitors cannot buy, borrow, or automate.

— Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
In January 2025, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch changed the department pursuit policy, barring cops from chasing after vehicles fleeing car stops unless a felony crime or a violent misdemeanor was committed.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of chasing

Verb

One of the attractions of self-storage as a business is that evicting stuff is easier than evicting people.

— David Owen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
In 1968 Britain considered evicting the family by force, with declassified documents showing a plan to raze the fort.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of evicting

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“Banishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banishing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of banishing

verb

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