expulsion

expulsion — noun

1. a punishment or order that removes someone from a group, institution, or nation

1.nounB2
Definition

a punishment or order that removes someone from a group, institution, or nation after they have broken important rules

Example

After the bullying incident, the school board voted for his immediate expulsion.

expulsion from [institution] after misconduct

The government ordered the expulsion of Defne for activities that threatened national security.

Common collocations
  • face expulsion
  • immediate expulsion
  • mass expulsion
  • expulsion from school
  • expulsion from the country
  • threat of expulsion
  • grounds for expulsion
Synonyms
  • deportation

    specifically sending a foreign national out of a country by government order; narrower than expulsion

  • dismissal

    removing someone from a job or position; less severe and more about employment than membership

  • ejection

    more physical and immediate removal from a place rather than an official process

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

expulsion from [institution/country/organization]

face expulsion

order the expulsion of [person]

Usage Note

Often followed by 'from' to specify the institution or body. Countable when referring to specific incidents ('three expulsions this year'); uncountable when referring to the concept or punishment in general ('Expulsion is the most serious penalty the school can impose.').

Common Mistakes

The student faced exclusion from school for cheating.
The student faced expulsion from school for cheating.
'Exclusion' means being left out or not allowed in; 'expulsion' means being forced to leave after already being a member.
The government ordered his deportation from the political party.
The government ordered his expulsion from the political party.
'Deportation' is only used for sending a foreign national out of a country; 'expulsion' is used for organizations and groups.

2. the forcing of a fluid or gas out of an organism or a vessel through internal pr

2.nounC1
Definition

the forcing of a fluid or gas out of an organism or a vessel through internal pressure

Example

The medicine helps with the expulsion of fluid from the patient's swollen lungs.

expulsion of [substance] from [body part]

The volcano's expulsion of hot gas and ash darkened the sky for three days.

Common collocations
  • expulsion of gas
  • expulsion of liquid
  • air expulsion
  • expulsion from the body
  • forceful expulsion
  • cough-driven expulsion
Synonyms
  • discharge

    more general term for any release of substance; less technical and more common in everyday language

  • emission

    often used for gases released into the air; common in environmental contexts

  • ejection

    can include solids and is often more forceful or sudden

Antonyms
  • intake

    the process of taking a substance in

  • absorption

    taking in and retaining a substance

Grammar Patterns

expulsion of [substance]

expulsion from [body/container]

the expulsion of [gas/liquid]

Usage Note

Primarily uncountable in medical and scientific writing. When countable, it refers to distinct instances or types of discharge ('repeated expulsions of gas from the chamber'). Not used for solid objects — use 'ejection' or 'expelling' instead.

Common Mistakes

The body's expulsion of food through vomiting.
The body's expulsion of stomach contents through vomiting.
'Expulsion' is used for gases and liquids, not solid food. Use 'expelling' or 'ejection' for solids.

Word family

  • expel
    verbB2
  • expelled
    adjectiveB2
  • expellee
    nounC1
  • expulsive
    adjectiveC1
  • expeller
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Expulsion, deportation, dismissal, and ejection all share the core idea of forcing someone or something out, but their contexts differ. Expulsion is the broadest term: a student faces expulsion from school, a diplomat is subject to expulsion from a country, and a committee member can face expulsion from a political party. Deportation is narrower — it refers specifically to a government forcing a non-citizen out of its territory. Dismissal applies to employment: an employee is dismissed from a job, usually for poor performance or misconduct. Ejection implies a more immediate, physical removal ('security ejected him from the building'). For official, rules-based removal from a group or institution, expulsion is the correct word. For government-ordered removal from a country, use deportation.

expulsion ↗deportation ↗dismissal ↗ejection

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • act of expulsion
  • grounds for expulsion
  • risk of expulsion

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Expulsion comes from the Latin verb expellere, a combination of ex- ('out') and pellere ('to drive'). It entered English through French in the late 14th century, first carrying the meaning of forcing a person out of a place or group. By the 17th century the physical sense — driving a gas or liquid out of a container or the body — had developed alongside the social one.