noun
Other Word Forms
- nonexpulsion noun
- reexpulsion noun
Etymology
Origin of expulsion
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin expulsiōn- (stem of expulsiō ), equivalent to expuls ( us ) driven out (past participle of expellere to expel ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Don't ever make a joke about a bomb on an airplane, if you don't want to risk expulsion. Expulsion is being kicked out of something, like a club, a school, or an airplane. If a Girl Scout ate all the cookies she'd already sold, she might face expulsion from her Girl Scout troop, and an unruly high school student who threatens to hit a teacher risks expulsion from school. Historically, many religious and minority groups faced expulsion from countries where their beliefs weren't tolerated. In fact, the Latin root word of expulsion is expellere, "to drive out."
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both Swalwell and Gonzales were facing the threat of an expulsion vote.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
Any expulsion would require a two-thirds majority vote, or 290 of 435 votes if every House member participates.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
But this may well be headed to an expulsion vote, unless Cherfilus-McCormick resigns first.
From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026
Ecuador on Wednesday ordered the expulsion of Cuba's ambassador to Quito, giving him and the rest of his embassy staff 48 hours to leave the country, the foreign ministry announced.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
What is the voice, I meditated, but an expulsion of air; a few vapors scented with the curdled decoctions of the stomach, vegetables mulching and pulverized beef?
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
