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
The four bishops were also excommunicated, but Pope Benedict XIV and Pope Francis sought to gradually return the group into the folds of the Church.
—
Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026
His brother, a defrocked Catholic priest with a Cessna Skyhawk aircraft and a Lincoln Continental, was excommunicated for marrying his secretary.
—Jasper Craven, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The student movement should have immediately excommunicated him.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
The Harmses had been excommunicated from the church, and a current and a former church leader obtained protection orders, Bleazard said.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excommunicate
Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026
His brother, a defrocked Catholic priest with a Cessna Skyhawk aircraft and a Lincoln Continental, was excommunicated for marrying his secretary.
—Jasper Craven, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The student movement should have immediately excommunicated him.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
The Harmses had been excommunicated from the church, and a current and a former church leader obtained protection orders, Bleazard said.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excommunicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excommunicate
Verb
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One is a search for stability, driven by a horror of chaos and by memories of the mayhem that wrecked his childhood and banished him to the cave.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
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While Vitello was banished to his office, the Giants lost a lot more than that.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Now legions of bright-eyed radical youths were exiled to the countryside to learn from the peasants.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
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From September 2023 until September 2025, Chairwoman Shannon O’Brien was exiled from the commission after Treasurer Deborah Goldberg suspended and then fired her based in part on clashes with the former executive director, who had previously worked for the treasurer.—
State House News Service,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That essentially delays the chances of a Fed rate cut for the time being and could result in higher borrowing costs for a series of products, of which mortgages and mortgage refinance loans won't be excluded.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Once the legislation is enacted, social media platforms will be responsible for reverifying the ages of all users in the country to exclude those who are 15 years or under.—
Menelaos Hadjicostis,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Expulsion votes possible for four lawmakers The House could move as early as this week to expel several members of Congress.—
John Parkinson,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
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The bloc doesn’t have a mechanism to expel a wayward member, but Western diplomats told me that brazen electoral theft would inaugurate a perilous new era.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Types of Peer Pressure Most kids strongly desire to fit in and are especially sensitive to being picked on, made fun of, or ostracized.—
Amy Morin,
Parents,
3 Apr. 2026
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Despite that, Shah claims Maxwell was not ostracized inside the facility and appeared to receive preferential treatment.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ozzie Albies hit his third home run of the season, starter Reynaldo López struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings before being ejected after a bench-clearing brawl, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 on Tuesday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López and Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler were ejected after getting into a brawl Tuesday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But in the motion to dismiss, McCallum said the shooter did not touch the railing.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
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The deal dismissed charges of first-degree murder, tampering with a human body, burglary and theft from his case.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excommunicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excommunicate. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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