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as in to exhale
to let or force out of the lungs asked the patient to expel a deep breath

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb expel contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of expel are eject, evict, and oust. While all these words mean "to drive or force out," expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

When would eject be a good substitute for expel?

While the synonyms eject and expel are close in meaning, eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

When could evict be used to replace expel?

The words evict and expel are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

When is it sensible to use oust instead of expel?

While in some cases nearly identical to expel, oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

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 expel With El Fasher lost, the SAF is expelled from the France-sized area, with little hope of retaking territory in the near future. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025 Gordy Heminger, president and chief executive officer of the Alpha Sigma Phi International Fraternity, confirmed to The Asbury Park Press its members at the New Jersey university would be expelled from the organization. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025 The labor agreement gives Silver the immediate power to suspend or expel Rozier from the league if NBA has reason to believe the charges against him are true. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025 Toronto taxed Snell, the two-time Cy Young award winner, and expelled him from the game in the sixth, feasting on his underwhelming replacements. Andy McCullough, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for expel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expel
Verb
  • For example, a rock just 11 pounds (5 kilograms) in mass can gouge a crater more than 30 feet (9 meters) wide and eject over 75 metric tons of lunar soil and rock, according to NASA.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025
  • In recent years, Beijing has sought to solidify its presence inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including ejecting Filipino fishermen.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The region saw 30% to 40% fewer ballots cast than in last year’s presidential election, for example.
    Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Sam Claflin was cast in the role of Billy Dunne.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • This gas then erupts from the shell of the comet, casting off solid dust and growing the halo around a comet, the coma, and its characteristic cometary tail.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
  • As the lights came up, the Fort Worth theater erupted with applause as the duo’s name flashed across the credits.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Inhale to lengthen, exhale to twist deeper.
    Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Aggies everywhere can finally exhale.
    Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Syracuse has also lost the last two meetings between these programs, failing to score more than seven points in either outing (in 2023 and 2020).
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Carly was outed as the niece of Hanks in the premiere by fellow contestant Hugo after her ties to fame were hinted at with a park bench — from Hanks' iconic movie Forrest Gump — earlier in the show.
    Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The meteors—the flashes and streaks of light—appear to radiate from the constellation Taurus.
    Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Do this in the early evening while there's still daylight and the ground is radiating heat.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The day of the invasion had been thick with heat, the kind that made the air above the sidewalk kebab spits ripple with diesel smoke.
    Vidushi Mishti Sharma, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
  • So that time in the dugout, that time pregame, spitting seeds, the conversations that take place postgame, those are so crucial.
    Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In 2009, the organization launched a campaign to banish the slur.
    Kate Reilly, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
  • DaCosta films it all with a ferociously cinematic flamboyance, banishing any charges of staginess.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Expel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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