DEPORT Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

deport

verb

di-ˈpȯrt

Definition of deport

as in to exile

to force to leave a country deported them back to their country of birth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to acquit

to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way deported herself with grace and propriety at the country club cotillion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Another theory is that with the fall harvest nearly complete, now is a relatively safe time to deport farmworkers in the countryside without immediately worrying about empty shelves in supermarkets, Mejia said. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 In an email, ICE responded that Teare should get to Port Isabel fast because the agency planned to deport Presa, according to the district attorney’s office. — Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026 The Omar investigation, the Journal reported, is explicitly aimed at stripping Omar of her citizenship — and thus her ability to hold office — and deporting her. — Cameron Peters, Vox, 15 Oct. 2026 For the first time in decades, immigration authorities could disregard those protections and more freely arrest, detain and deport immigrant victims. — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deport

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deport

Verb

Karen would absolutely be a Catherine Zeta-Jones character who has been exiled to Arrakis following a particularly contentious divorce.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Dahlan had previously been driven from Gaza by Hamas and was exiled in 2010 after a falling-out with Abbas.

— Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of exile

Verb

Singleton was ultimately acquitted of all charges, the statement said.

— Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Eric Lewis, the man accused of killing a Philadelphia police officer in an ambush, was acquitted of murder in 2019 in a case the district attorney says was undermined by police misconduct.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of acquit

Verb

The Industry actress was banished from Season 2 of The Celebrity Traitors last week and has reflected on her experience on the Studio Lambert series in an Instagram post.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
At that point, the group had botched its first two votes, mistakenly banishing two female faithfuls.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of banish

Verb

The limited prep area has forced me to be incredibly picky about which tools and appliances to display and which to relegate to cabinets.

— Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
Artisanal weapons and revolvers have been increasingly relegated to rural areas, smaller criminal groups and individuals, while over the past two years gangs have been procuring larger numbers of more lethal weaponry.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of relegate

Verb

In 1999 a group led by Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger confirmed that fullerenes, large molecules consisting of 60 carbon atoms, behave just the same.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Meet the 2026-27 Lakers, a team that will look different, sound different, feel different, play different and behave different from their recent predecessors in every way but one.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of behave

Verb

While your parents were together thriving, which is a great story, Sophie Cunningham and her parents were being evicted from their home during the 2008 financial crisis.

— Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
This May, the owner of the building housing Erica’s jewelry studio moved to evict her business, having already sued in a separate case for more than $255,000 in unpaid rent.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of evict

Verb

According to the report, one of the nightclub's owners attempted to physically restrain Lindo and pleaded with him to drop the weapon, describing Lindo as acting focused on his target.

— Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Corrections officials said the officers forced Olivas back into his cell and restrained him.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of restrain

Cite this Entry

Style

“Deport.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deport. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of deport

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