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

Examples 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 Those who were apprehended and deported would soon return to work after sneaking back across the border, which was much more porous before President Reagan’s 1986 amnesty coupled with stricter border enforcement. Robin Abcarian, The Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2025 Last year, more than 40,000 Chinese people were detained in Myanmar over scams and deported to China. Hannah Beech, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024 Most economists expect inflation to fall in 2025, though many caution that President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose sweeping tariffs and deport unauthorized immigrants could cause consumer prices to rise. Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024 As to the cash settlement, many of the plaintiff class here might not only not get their cut of the money, but may have already long ago been deported. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deport 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deport
Verb
  • In Act 4, Prospero, the former Duke of Milan who has been exiled to a desert island with daughter Miranda, and his magic book, interrupts his revenge scheme to conjure a supernatural theatrical pageant in honor of the engagement of Miranda and Ferdinand, the son of the king of Naples.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025
  • As a result, its people have been imprisoned, exiled, and murdered.
    Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The ruling comes after Peterson was acquitted in 2023 of criminal charges of child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury related to the shooting, which killed 17 people and injured dozens more.
    Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025
  • That ensures that if charges are reduced or dismissed, or the person is acquitted, our reporting will reflect that.
    Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Inhumans does not exactly seem like MCU canon as it has more or less been banished from existence, despite attachment to Agents of SHIELD, outside of a brief cameo in Multiverse of Madness for Anson Mount’s Black Bolt (who was promptly murdered).
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
  • To banish household odors, create natural room scents, carpet powders, reed diffusers, and plug-in refills.
    Linley Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Scott is also coming off his first All Star appearance, after carrying a 1.34 ERA into the All Star break.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Guard Kendal Parker carries a camera around everywhere, vlogging the team’s life on the road for his YouTube channel’s 32 subscribers.
    Sam Blum, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Without that, you'd be relegated to insignificance.
    John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025
  • When the department returned to the office in July 2022, Bohn relegated Bell Limbrick to an office in Galen Center, far away from other department officials.
    Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Those who turned inward eventually implode and behave in unthinkable ways.
    Tamara Conniff, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025
  • The differences don’t end there—the researchers also argue that Pluto and Charon are less likely to behave like fluid during a collision.
    Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In October, the fish were evicted and the broken sidewalk paved over.
    Ellen Moynihan, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Editors’ Picks Best Classical Music Albums of 2024 Image Ms. Battista, the medical student in Rome who was evicted, said her frantic search for another place not far from the city center took five months.
    Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The individual, whose identity hasn’t been released, was quickly restrained by fellow passengers and later detained by state troopers.
    Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Plus, in wine bars restrained by small kitchens, the ice cream coupe offers ample space for experimentation, allowing chefs to push the boundaries with the produce and tools at hand and easily tweak their recipes to keep regulars on their toes.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near deport

Cite this Entry

“Deport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deport. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on deport

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