as in to banish
to not allow (someone) to continue being a member of a group and especially the Roman Catholic church
He was excommunicated from the church for his radical practices.
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Recent Examples of excommunicate
Leo excommunicated Luther in 1520, helping to create the divide between Protestants and Catholics.
—
Alison Hudson, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 May 2025
When Luther refused, Leo excommunicated him in 1521.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
The church ultimately excommunicated Viganó, who had also become a vocal proponent of Trump and rightwing conspiracy theories.
—Liam Adams, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Alleging disobedience, among other claimed doctrinal infractions, the OCA excommunicated the Homyks and longtime parish council leader Rivera.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excommunicate
Alison Hudson, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 May 2025
When Luther refused, Leo excommunicated him in 1521.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2025
The church ultimately excommunicated Viganó, who had also become a vocal proponent of Trump and rightwing conspiracy theories.
—Liam Adams, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Alleging disobedience, among other claimed doctrinal infractions, the OCA excommunicated the Homyks and longtime parish council leader Rivera.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excommunicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excommunicate
Verb
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Any input would help. – Visiting Accident Dear Visiting: Don’t banish yourself just yet.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
24 June 2025
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Softening those characters for present-day sensibilities banishes what little edge there was and leaves everything feeling over-bright in a restless and relentless production.—
David Benedict,
Variety,
24 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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The $1 smoothies are limited to one per person and can’t be combined with other offers, the juice bar said. Drive-thru and kiosk locations are excluded.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2025
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And a ProPublica analysis identified more than 600 complaints in the FDA’s files about exempted drugs at three of those factories alone, each flagging concerns in the months or years after they were excluded from import bans in 2022 and 2023.—
Debbie Cenziper,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
Verb
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His was the first arrest under President Donald Trump's crackdown on students who joined campus protests against the war in Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said Khalil must be expelled from the country because his continued presence could harm American foreign policy.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 June 2025
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The Trump administration, which has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of the violent gang MS-13, has pointed to the case to justify its decision to expel him from the United States.—
Evan Mealins,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
Verb
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You could get laughed at, ridiculed, teased, ostracized, punched, or killed.—
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
14 June 2025
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Many more were ostracized or found their businesses boycotted.—
Greg Daugherty,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 June 2025
Verb
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There was a ton of pushing and shoving along the baseline and officials later ejected Cunningham, Sheldon and Lindsay Allen.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2025
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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
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Excommunicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excommunicate. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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