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.
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
In early 2019, then-Chancellor Rebecca Blank upheld the findings and expelled Cephus.
—
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 16 July 2025
Bridgeport, home of the Doremus Congregational Church, was hit hard by the tragedy.
1912: U.S. Sen. William Lorimer of Illinois was expelled from the U.S. Senate for election rigging following Tribune’s reports of corruption.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025
Rising sea temperatures compound the damage, triggering bleaching events that cause coral to expel their life-giving algae.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Years after being expelled from the farm, Nadia reconnects with Alba and tries to secure a better future for her daughter.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for expel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 16 July 2025
Bridgeport, home of the Doremus Congregational Church, was hit hard by the tragedy.
1912: U.S. Sen. William Lorimer of Illinois was expelled from the U.S. Senate for election rigging following Tribune’s reports of corruption.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025
Rising sea temperatures compound the damage, triggering bleaching events that cause coral to expel their life-giving algae.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Years after being expelled from the farm, Nadia reconnects with Alba and tries to secure a better future for her daughter.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for expel
Cite this Entry
“Expel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expel. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share