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 Pheap Rom was deported to the southern African nation in October and held at the Matsapha Correctional Center. Gerald Imray, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026 Trump faces a strong lobby within the GOP pushing him to make good on his promise to deport 1 million people a year. Rebecca Santana, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2026 The deal under discussion would fund the department except for the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement charged with arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants. Theodoric Meyer, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2026 This time, agents held the family until they were deported the next day to Mexico. Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deport
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deport
Verb
  • Once used by Iran's monarchy to exile political prisoners, this rock is deceptively fertile on the ground.
    Alexander Smith, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
  • In the Sixties in Greece, under military rule, the music of Mikis Theodorakis was prohibited by decree, its composer imprisoned and exiled.
    Christina Hioureas, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Dominguez, acquitted of first-degree murder at his first trial, faces charges of second-degree murder in the slayings at his May retrial.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2026
  • In January, Antoine Watson was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee, and acquitted of murder.
    Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Rename the file, banish it to some obscure folder.
    JD Barker, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Angels could be seen all around — some on the walls depicting Moses' life and death, and another above, on Michelangelo’s fresco, banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The men, ranging in age from twenty-nine to sixty-four, carried rucksacks containing the few items that they were allowed to bring.
    Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • For a Nets team that has watched too many games slip in the same way, the early minutes of the fourth carried a familiar warning.
    C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The move — which was not originally on the agenda for the State University System’s Board of Governors — will effectively relegate introductory sociology to an elective starting this fall, removing it from the core curriculum taken by most undergraduates.
    Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The move relegates longtime Renegades starter Luis Perez to the bench.
    José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • What emerged was something that behaved less like a collection of individuals and more like a fluid.
    Yook JiHun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Yet Illinois’ dominant insurer, along with many of its peers, continues to behave as though steep increases are unavoidable.
    Barbara Hoare, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Luari also was evicted from a second bakery location in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square that never opened.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The question has been asked a lot since the former Duchess was evicted from Royal Lodge alongside her ex-husband, the former prince Andrew.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • When Robby races into the room, our drunk country clubber is being restrained, and his nose is bleeding.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The seven dogs in question have since returned home, with the German shepherd now restrained on a leash until its heat cycle ends.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deport. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on deport

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