Meaning & use
expel
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To officially force someone to leave a school, organization, or country, usually as a punishment.
Grammar: Takes an object: expel a student. Often used in the passive: be expelled from school.
Patterns
- expel someone from something
- expel someone for doing something
The school decided to expel the student for cheating on the exam.
He was expelled from the club after breaking the rules.
The government expelled the diplomats accused of spying.
verbtransitivetechnical
To force air, liquid, or another substance out of a place or container.
Grammar: Takes an object: expel air. Often used in scientific contexts.
Patterns
- expel something from something
The pump expels water from the flooded basement.
When you cough, you expel air from your lungs forcefully.
Word forms
| third person singular | expels |
|---|---|
| past tense | expelled |
| past participle | expelled |
| -ing form | expelling |
Common combinations
- expel from school
- Students who bring weapons to class may be expelled from school.
- expel for misconduct
- The employee was expelled for misconduct.
- expel air
- The machine expels air through a small vent.
- expel a member
- The committee voted to expel the member who leaked information.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dismiss
- Dismiss is used for removing someone from a job or position, while expel is stronger and often implies formal removal from an institution or country.
- banish
- Banish means to send someone away from a place forever, often in a historical or literary context; expel can be temporary or permanent and is more official.
- eject
- Eject means to force someone to leave a place immediately, often physically; expel is more about official removal from an organization.
Opposites
Word family
- expulsion noun
- The act of expelling someone or the state of being expelled.
- expulsive adjective
- Having the power to expel; often used in medical contexts.
Commonly confused: expel or suspend?
expel vs suspend
Suspend means to temporarily remove someone from a school or job, while expel is usually permanent.
Practice
The university decided to ______ the student for plagiarism.
Choose one answer.
Expel is correct because it means officially force someone to leave permanently. Suspend would mean a temporary removal, dismiss is used for jobs, and banish is too literary and often implies exile from a country.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “expel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.