Expel

Expel is a verb that means to force something or someone to leave a place, or to push or discharge from within something to the outside. It can describe physical ejection, such as expelling gas from a container, or a more figurative removal, such as expelling a person from an organization or from a country.

Originating from the Latin expellere, meaning “drive out” (ex- “out” + pellere “to drive”), expel is used across contexts including science, law, and diplomacy. In science and everyday language, it often denotes the release or discharge of material; in governance and institutions, it denotes formal removal.

Examples include a volcano expelling ash, a device expelling steam, a university expelling a student for misconduct, or a government expelling a diplomat. The noun form is expulsion, and related verbs include eject and oust.

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