Definition of deportnext

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb deport contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of deport are banish, exile, and transport. While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," 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 might banish be a better fit than deport?

In some situations, the words banish and deport are roughly equivalent. However, banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

When is it sensible to use exile instead of deport?

The synonyms exile and deport are sometimes interchangeable, but exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

When is transport a more appropriate choice than deport?

The meanings of transport and deport largely overlap; 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 deport Court records show that he was deported to Honduras in October 2013. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Aug. 2026 The government had checked a hundred and fifty thousand names against its files, actively monitoring immigrants and citizens alike, and deported at least seventy-eight people. Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026 In the Philippines, China’s Ministry of Public Security canceled the passports of hundreds of Chinese nationals involved in offshore gambling operations there, turning them into fugitives who can be arrested and deported. Alvin Camba, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2026 At least one person was deported who wasn’t supposed to be, emails showed. Safiyah Riddle, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deport
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deport
Verb
  • This thriller centers on disgraced or damaged agents of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service who have been exiled to a remote Greek island.
    Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026
  • After British forces recaptured Delhi, much of the city was destroyed and the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled.
    Aishwarya Lakshmi, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The trailer also promises to touch on how then-contemporary thoughts of women as too innocent to murder helped Lizzie get acquitted, and teases the incorporation of other stories of female killers throughout history.
    Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
  • He was booked on child molestation charges in 2003, but acquitted on criminal counts.
    Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Plus a few other wackadoodles banished from labels, serving out their sentences in our nuthouse.
    Jeff Rabhan, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 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
Verb
  • Highlight one strong detail, ask what outcome matters most, and let your craft carry the room.
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Moon Jong-won rounds out the cast as Um Sang-pil, who runs a bed-and-breakfast and carries a past shrouded in mystery.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • His main competition, the geriatric Aaron Jones, should be relegated to backup duty.
    Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • West Ham United, Burnley, and Wolverhampton Wanderers have been relegated to the second division.
    Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 23 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The incident was quickly followed by a slew of other companies reporting instances where AI agents behaved in unexpected ways.
    Tom Matsuda, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In another part of the study, the research team saw that fat cells behaved differently when drenched with blood collected from the HIIT folks, including changes involved in many genes that regulate fat and whole-body metabolism.
    Will Stone, NPR, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Three notices in a year's time and the landlord has the right to evict a tenant.
    John Ramos, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • That’s partly why the British royal family has recently tried to distance themselves from the disgraced ex-prince, to the point that he was stripped of his titles and evicted from his home at Royal Lodge.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The main thing stock folks are worried about – the voracious consumption and headlong deployment of capital for AI – is now the thing lifting rates and potentially restraining growth elsewhere.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Cameramen raced around hectically setting up lights and checking shots as choreographers ran through fight sequences and a prop team worked out how to hoist a net that would later restrain a hostage.
    Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deport. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster