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to expel

to expel

194 5.0
Force someone to leave a place, such as a school or country, often by official order
  • verb
  • /ɪkˈspɛl/
translation icon : expulsar
  • And this time they voted to expel me from the program.
  • expelled from the country
  • expelled journalists
  • expelled from the party

Tell me again why you were expelled from the college?

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Examples

  • And if they did, can they be expelled from Congress?

  • Tell me again why you were expelled from the college?

  • Tomorrow you are going to be expelled.

  • If you fail to follow these simple orders, you will be expelled, with no refund.

  • This is the third school that Ezra's been expelled from.

  • Plus, Representative George Santos has just been expelled from the House.

  • Most of the German residents were expelled, although pockets of ethnic Germans remain in Poland.

    Academic text (1991)
  • In the end, Turkey expelled almost 1.5 million people, and Greece expelled almost 400,000.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Thousands were expelled, and those who stayed risked persecution.

  • The school decided to expel the student for repeated violations of the code of conduct.

Synonyms

to remove
vsto expel
1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

emphasizes force or unwillingness more than simple removal
to kick out
vsto expel
512 3.0

Force someone to leave a place or group

can be formal or official, not only informal expulsions
to throw out
vsto expel
236 3.0

To force someone to leave a place, job, or group

is more often used in formal official contexts than casual speech
to deport
vsto expel
  • Formal
182 5.5

To force someone to leave a country for legal or political reasons

covers leaving any place or group, not only international removal
to banish
vsto expel
107 6.3

Force someone to leave a place or group and not let them return

can be temporary or informal, not always permanent banishment
to oust
vsto expel
80 6.2

To remove someone from power, often suddenly or by force

includes removal from any place or group, not only leadership roles
to evict
vsto expel
77 4.6

To make someone leave a house or land by court order

is broader, covering places, groups, or countries not only property
to drive out
vsto expel
70 3.8

Force someone or something to leave a place

can be a single official act rather than ongoing pressure
to force out
vsto expel
46 4.4

To make someone leave a job by pressure or threats

is similar but can be used for formal official orders as well
to exile
vsto expel
46 5.6

To force someone to leave their country, often for political reasons

is more general and can apply to places, groups, or nations
to send away
vsto expel
43 3.0

Make someone leave a job or group because of a problem

involves official or forceful removal often against the person's will
to move out
vsto expel
36 2.8

To make someone or something leave a place

stresses force and unwillingness more than mere departure
to eject
vsto expel
32 4.2

Force someone to leave a place

is similar but often used in formal institutional contexts rather than any exit
to depose
vsto expel
31 7.4

To remove a leader from office, often by force

is a general forced removal that also applies outside offices
to cast out
vsto expel
31 6.2

Force someone to leave a group or place because others reject them

is broader and can include legal or formal orders without social shunning
to excommunicate
vsto expel
  • Formal
24 9.3

To officially stop someone from being a member of a church as punishment

is broader and not limited to religious or moral communities
purge
vsto expel
15 7.8

A sudden removal of people from an organization for political reasons

can apply to single individuals as well as group purges
to boot out
vsto expel
  • Informal
15 5.8

Force someone to leave a job or organization suddenly

may be formal or official and is not always abrupt
to turn out
vsto expel
  • Informal
10 4.9

To make someone leave a place

is broader and covers organizations, countries, and official expulsions
to send packing
vsto expel
  • Informal
8 6.5

To make someone leave quickly to show they are not wanted

can include official or procedural expulsions, not only abrupt dismissals
to drum out
vsto expel
7 7.4

Make someone leave a group or job in a public, shameful way

covers forced leaving without requiring public humiliation
to send down
vsto expel
  • Jargon
7 8.6

Make a student leave college or university for a short time as punishment

is not limited to academic suspension and can be permanent
to send someone packing
vsto expel
  • Informal
4 7.9

Make someone leave quickly and forcefully

can be formal or official and does not always show abruptness
to rout out
vsto expel
1 7.1

To force someone or something out of a place by searching

is general and does not require searching or a physical operation
to turf out
vsto expel
  • UK
1 8.2

Force someone to leave a place or job

is neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts
to chuck out
vsto expel
  • UK
1 5.0

To force someone to leave a place usually because they cause trouble

focuses purely on forcing departure without the discard meaning
to expatriate
vsto expel
  • Formal
7.7

To force someone to leave their country as punishment

is wider and also includes non-national expulsions
to sack someone
vsto expel
  • UK
4.8

To stop employing someone, often suddenly as punishment

is broader, including removal from places or groups beyond jobs

Antonyms

583 1.0

Greet someone in a friendly way when they arrive

188 1.6

Allow someone to enter a place

How Forceful

to exile
46 5.6
to banish
107 6.3
to expel
194 5.0
to oust
80 6.2
to send someone packing
  • Informal
4 7.9
to remove
1.5
to dismiss
70 3.3

Surface Forms

expel infinitive
expelled past
expelled past participle
expelling present participle
expels third person singular

Morphology

expel = ex + pel

The meaning 'drive out' can be parsed as ex- (out) + pel (drive), but 'pel' is a non-standalone combining form in English, so learners may not recognise the base directly.

Etymology

Expel comes from the Latin parts ex- 'out' and pellere 'to drive', and you can see the same root in propel. So to expel a person is to 'drive out' or force them to leave a place.