To expel is to drive out, and its usual noun is expulsion.Expel is similar to eject, but expel suggests pushing out while eject suggests throwing out. Also, ejecting may only be temporary: the player ejected from a game may be back tomorrow, but the student expelled from school is probably out forever.
eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.
ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar
expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.
a student expelled from college
oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.
police ousted the squatters
evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.
evicted for nonpayment of rent
Example Sentences
The club may expel members who do not follow the rules.
She was expelled from school for bad behavior. expel air from the lungs
Recent Examples on the WebAlthough President Biden entered office pledging to create a less restrictive policy, his administration continued to use Title 42 to expel families while exempting unaccompanied minors.—William A. Galston, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2022 The asylum rule has been used by the Biden administration to expel migrant families and single adults, though not children traveling alone.—Dallas News, 7 Dec. 2022 While mifepristone is followed up with a second medication called misoprostol that causes the uterus to contract and expel tissue, the FDA rule only applies to the first drug.—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023 However, any member could introduce a resolution to potentially punish or expel Santos.—George Santos, Fox News, 11 Jan. 2023 Misoprostol is taken 24 to 48 hours later, causing the uterus to contract and expel pregnancy tissue.—Matthew Perrone, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2023 The Beating Ghost festival, or Da Gui festival in Chinese, is an important ritual of Tibetan Buddhism and is believed to expel evil spirits and shake off troubles.—CNN, 2 Jan. 2023 For much of the night, that offense threatened to expel top-seeded Georgia and end its quest to become the lone back-to-back champion in playoff history.—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2023 The Biden administration has not yet announced efforts to expel Cuban or Nicaraguan migrants to Mexico or to offer them the legal pathway that some Venezuelans have been offered.—CBS News, 22 Oct. 2022 See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'expel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English expellen, from Latin expellere, from ex- + pellere to drive — more at felt
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