Meaning & use
eject
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To force a person to leave a place, often because of bad behavior.
Grammar: Takes an object: eject the fan; it is stronger and more sudden than ask to leave.
Patterns
- eject someone from a place
- be ejected from a game
- eject a protester
Security ejected two fans after bottles were thrown.
The referee ejected the goalkeeper for violent conduct.
Staff can eject anyone who threatens customers.
verbtransitive
To make a machine, container, volcano, or device push something out.
Grammar: Takes an object for the thing sent out: eject the disc; emit is similar but less forceful.
Patterns
- eject a disc
- eject lava and ash
- eject a cartridge
Press this button to eject the disc.
The volcano ejected ash high into the air.
The printer jammed when it tried to eject a blank sheet.
verbintransitivespecialist
To escape from an aircraft by firing the seat out, especially in an emergency.
Grammar: No object; use eject from an aircraft, not eject the aircraft.
Patterns
- eject from a jet
- eject safely
- pilot ejects
The pilot had seconds to eject before impact.
He ejected from the burning jet over the sea.
Training teaches pilots when to eject and when to stay with the aircraft.
Word forms
| third person singular | ejects |
|---|---|
| past tense | ejected |
| past participle | ejected |
| -ing form | ejecting |
Common combinations
- eject someone from somewhere
- Police ejected the man from the stadium.
- eject a disk/disc
- The computer refused to eject the disk.
- eject safely
- The crew module was designed so both pilots could eject safely.
Synonyms and how they differ
- expel
- Expel is formal for removing people from schools, clubs, or countries; eject adds sudden physical force.
- remove
- Remove is neutral and everyday, with less violence than eject.
- emit
- Emit means send out gas, light, or sound, but not usually people from a room.
- oust
- Oust means drive someone from power or position, not from a seat in a theater.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: eject or reject? eject or inject?
eject vs reject
Reject means refuse or say no; eject means throw out or remove.
eject vs inject
Inject is close in spelling but means put something in, often the opposite movement.
Practice
Complete the pattern: “The pilot had to ______ from the damaged plane.”
Choose one answer.
Eject is intransitive here: a pilot ejects from a plane; you do not say eject the plane, and reject or inject change the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eject”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.