banish

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb banish contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of banish are deport, exile, and transport. While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

When is it sensible to use deport instead of banish?

The synonyms deport and banish are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 would exile be a good substitute for banish?

Although the words exile and banish have much in common, exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

In what contexts can transport take the place of banish?

In some situations, the words transport and banish are roughly equivalent. 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 banish For Ayan, revenge came in Episode 4 when Bob the Drag Queen, who had suggested her murder, was the first traitor banished from the castle. Shivani Gonzalez, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025 So, the thinking went, either Nikki or Ciara should be the next to get banished. Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2025 And perhaps most notable, the interior — long seen as a Vantage weak point — was greatly improved, with a more elegant design, higher-quality materials, and a brand-new infotainment system that finally banished the outdated Mercedes setup the car had been stuck with. Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2025 Once George is inside the crate and lying down, the cat appears to mess with him, sticking his paw through the gaps in the crate where George has been banished. Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for banish 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banish
Verb
  • Since being exiled from Club 33, many of the members with whom the Andersons were close no longer answer their calls.
    Justine Harman, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
  • As per previous releases, a dozen Palestinians serving life sentences for killing Israeli civilians were exiled to Egypt.
    Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The athlete was outed by a teammate in a previous lawsuit.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 6 Feb. 2025
  • In 2021, the publishers of a Catholic newsletter outed a priest by apparently accessing his Grindr activity through third-party channels.
    Samantha Riedel, Them, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • When first created they were relegated to industrial use—cutting, drilling, and polishing rather than adorning fingers and décolletages.
    Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Sims had been largely relegated to a bench role after failing to make an impact in extended minutes on the floor this season.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • However, Cave pushed back against the idea of fully dismissing an artist’s work due to their personal failings.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Chutkan granted a request from Smith to dismiss the case after Mr. Trump won the presidential election in November because of a Justice Department policy that forbids the prosecution of a sitting president.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Since President Donald Trump returned to office on January 20, the Department of Homeland Security has reported more than 8,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants, with about 5,000 people being deported or removed from the country during this period.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
  • Still, the president’s supporters credited his immigration policies for the recent decline, saying that his orders to round up and deport migrants, shut down an app that provided asylum interviews and strip protections from Venezuelan migrants were dissuading others from crossing.
    Jack Healy, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • As Mavericks fans were being ejected from the stadium, Nowitzki was out in Los Angeles, sitting in the stands to show Dončić his support.
    Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2025
  • The two crew members ejected and parachuted into the bay before the plane slammed into the water.
    Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • No president ever proposed anything so unhinged as Donald Trump’s brutal fantasy of evicting some 2.3 million Palestinians from Gaza and turning it into a massive real estate deal.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025
  • They were allegedly left abandoned in an apartment when their family were evicted.
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • But Barkley didn’t join the Eagles to chase records.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
  • There's several variations but there's a big one that moves after the little one that appears to be chasing it....
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 9 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near banish

Cite this Entry

“Banish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banish. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on banish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!