Synonym Chooser

How does the verb deport contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of deport are banish, exile, and transport. While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare.

illegal aliens will be deported

When might banish be a better fit than deport?

In some situations, the words banish and deport are roughly equivalent. However, banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

When is it sensible to use exile instead of deport?

The synonyms exile and deport are sometimes interchangeable, but exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

When is transport a more appropriate choice than deport?

The meanings of transport and deport largely overlap; however, transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of deport The still-ongoing raids were ordered by White House aide Stephen Miller, a Santa Monica native, to arrest hundreds of undocumented migrants and deport them from the U.S. Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2025 But under President Trump's second term, over two dozen people have been deported there, even as Bhutan is accused of turning them away. Juliana Kim, NPR, 16 July 2025 The firings of 17 immigration judges since July 11 — 15 that day and 2 on July 14 — comes as the Trump administration looks to rapidly detain and deport migrants in the country. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 16 July 2025 Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that efforts to detain and deport noncitizens based on their political beliefs violate the First Amendment’s right to free speech, the Washington Post reported. Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 8 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for deport
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deport
Verb
  • They are silenced, punished, exiled – for daring to write.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
  • The second Renko novel, Polar Star (1989), in which the investigator is exiled to a Soviet factory ship in the Arctic, is my favorite of the whole series.
    Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 16 July 2025
Verb
  • As well, the players were acquitted of the very serious criminal charges.
    Eric Macramalla, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
  • Brendon's mother, 21-year-old Sophie Staddon, was acquitted of a lesser charge of causing or allowing the death of a child, per the outlets.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • And Leland was banished forever to a naughty mystical closet at the silent retreat upstate.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 July 2025
  • With billions of dollars at his disposal and tech masterminds at his service, Luthor sets out to banish Superman from Earth forever.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • Prod: Andrés Jaime Santamaría) David Rodríguez, a Colombian police captain, goes undercover in a brutal jail to discover a sect which carries our ritual sacrifices in worship of a supernatural god.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 15 July 2025
  • Her election would also carry symbolic weight as Grijalva would be the first Latina to represent Arizona in Congress.
    Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • The drive to save lives cannot be relegated to historical oddity.
    David Miliband, Time, 21 July 2025
  • Hamilton, mostly relegated to low-leverage situations after some early-season struggles, had the Yankees down, 2-0, before recording an out, as Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr. followed Jurickson Profar’s leadoff single with RBI doubles.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025
Verb
  • How did Tali Shapiro survive? Donald Haines was the bystander who followed Alcala and called the police, unsettled by how Alcala was behaving around Shapiro.
    Jessica Sager, People.com, 24 July 2025
  • How should men behave, and what can our culture do to encourage that behavior?
    Christopher J. Scalia, National Review, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • On Wednesday, the California Civil Rights Department announced a settlement prohibiting Vertus Properties from evicting victims of domestic violence and which ordered $46,825 in fees for the woman to cover housing and other costs.
    Ishani Desai July 11, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2025
  • Elan joined the show during Casa Amor, which happened right after Hannah was evicted.
    Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • Video posted to social media by a passenger showed law enforcement escorting a man off the plane with his hands restrained behind his back.
    Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 18 July 2025
  • Farrell was then restrained by crew members and escorted off stage.
    Michaela Zee, Variety, 16 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deport. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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