expelled; expelling
1
: to force out : eject
expelled the smoke from her lungs
2
: to force to leave (a place, an organization, etc.) by official action : take away rights or privileges of membership
was expelled from college
Did you know?
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.
Synonyms
Examples of expel in a Sentence
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 Web
But immediately after voting to allow women to be members, the group expelled one who had lurked secretly in their midst for two years.
—
Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 13 Nov. 2024
The school expels him for a year for making a threat of mass violence.
—Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, 13 Nov. 2024
Harris was expelled from the Legislature last year and replaced with Julie Willoughby.
—Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Diplomatic Expulsions In October, Canada expelled India's high commissioner and five other diplomats, alleging they were linked to coercive efforts aimed at silencing Sikh separatists' activism in Canada.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for expel 
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Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 13 Nov. 2024
The school expels him for a year for making a threat of mass violence.
—Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, 13 Nov. 2024
Harris was expelled from the Legislature last year and replaced with Julie Willoughby.
—Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Diplomatic Expulsions In October, Canada expelled India's high commissioner and five other diplomats, alleging they were linked to coercive efforts aimed at silencing Sikh separatists' activism in Canada.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for expel
Dictionary Entries Near expel
Cite this Entry
“Expel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expel. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
expel
verb
ex·pel
ik-ˈspel 
expelled; expelling
1
: to drive or force out
expel air from the lungs
2
: to force to leave usually by official action
expelled from school
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