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 The arrangements have drawn mounting scrutiny, most recently after migrants deported to Equatorial Guinea were held at gunpoint and beaten. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Nazis wanted to deport Veria’s entire Jewish community, and Daniel and his father escaped from a synagogue after police blocked its entrance. — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026 The majority of those deported so far – around 20,000 – were transported to Mexico, while others have been flown to Latin America, Africa, central Asia and the Caribbean. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 22 Sep. 2026 His attorneys filed a federal lawsuit seeking his release and an order preventing the government from deporting him while the shooting and the circumstances surrounding it are investigated. — María Luisa Paúl, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deport
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deport
Verb
  • The celebrity kingmaker had finally been officially exiled from the royal court.
    — Lindsey Weber, Vanity Fair, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Conversely, what appeared to be an inappropriate relationship with an NFL coach might have doomed Diana Russini’s career at The Athletic, but doesn’t appear likely to exile her from the industry.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But at Tuesday's hearing, Reddington sought to persuade Judge William Sullivan -- the same judge who presided over the first trial -- to acquit Clancy.
    — MICHAEL CASEY, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • McCloud was acquitted in 2001, partly on the basis that his holdings were art; art critic Carlo McCormick was among those to testify.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • After he is banished, a magical bracelet carries her across worlds and parallel space-times on a journey to reclaim her dreams and her lost love.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • New Blood introduces new twists to gameplay to capitalize on that tension; this season, the Traitors have a $15,000 bounty on their heads, money that will be added to the prize pot every time the group banishes one.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In July, the Drug Enforcement Agency proposed temporarily designating 7-OH above a certain threshold of potency as Schedule I, the category for drugs that carry the most risk without any medical benefit.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Smith accepted a deal from prosecutors in March, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • By naming the product of two mergers Skydance, David Ellison relegates two of Hollywood’s founding studios to a sub-brand stew and attempts to erase a bunch of controversial hires.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • This is not something that’s relegated to a few institutions.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Along with the Vancouver Art Gallery (a former court house) and the nearby Hotel Georgia, the Hotel Vancouver is one of the three anchors that determined how downtown Vancouver was built, and how the neighborhood behaves today.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Researchers will use those collisions to probe the internal structure of matter and study how quarks and gluons, the fundamental particles responsible for building protons and neutrons, behave inside atomic nuclei.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Iran cannot evict the world’s only superpower from the Middle East.
    — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Abascal is currently hospitalized at Gregorio Marañón Hospital, where she was taken on a stretcher immediately after being evicted from her apartment.
    — Pau Mosquera, CNN Money, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to enter and restrain the attacker.
    — SAM MEDNICK, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The ability to manage one’s thoughts, regulate emotions, and restrain impulses is key to a happy and healthy life.
    — Joan M. Cook, Time, 3 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Deport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deport. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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