Quantcast
 
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

expel

 - 3 dictionary results

ex⋅pel

  [ik-spel]
–verb (used with object), -pelled, -pel⋅ling.
1. to drive or force out or away; discharge or eject: to expel air from the lungs; to expel an invader from a country.
2. to cut off from membership or relations: to expel a student from a college.
Use expel in a Sentence
Origin:
1350–1400; ME expellen < L expellere to drive out, drive away, equiv. to ex- ex- 1 + pellere to push, drive

Related forms:
ex⋅pel⋅la⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
2. oust, dismiss, exile, excommunicate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To expel
ex·pel   (ĭk-spěl')   
tr.v.   ex·pelled, ex·pel·ling, ex·pels

  1. To force or drive out: expel an invader.

  2. To discharge from or as if from a receptacle: expelled a sigh of relief.

  3. To force to leave; deprive of membership: expelled the student from college for cheating. See Synonyms at eject.


[Middle English expellen, from Latin expellere : ex-, ex- + pellere, to drive; see pel-5 in Indo-European roots.]
ex·pel'la·ble adj., ex·pel'ler n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

expel 
c.1386, from L. expellere "drive out," from ex- "out" + pellere "to drive." Meaning "to eject from a school" is first recorded 1648.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see expel on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
ExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyThe Daily BeastUrbanspoonAsk AnswersBloglinesSendori