Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

expel

/ɪkˈspɛl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.26 in modern English

Syllables: ex-pel
IPA: /ɪkˈspɛl/

14

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Transitive verb

verb

To fire (a bullet, arrow etc.).

Obsolete; Transitive verb

verb

To remove from membership.

Transitive verb

verb

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"But to the ground the idle quarrell fell: / Then he another and another did expell."
"He was expelled from school multiple times for disruptive behaviour."
"She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party."

Etymology

Late Middle English: from Latin expellere, from ex- (“out”) + pellere (“to drive”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Prefix: ex-
Root: *pel- (beat), expellere

Usage

Inflected Forms

expels (present, singular) expelling (participle, present) expelled (participle, past) expelled (past)

Derived Forms

expellable expellee expeller reexpel unexpelled

Frequently Paired Words

expulsion

Synonyms

drive away drive out force out fordrive turf out exhaust discharge eject release

Antonyms

impel

Rhymes With

well tell hell sell hotel cell fell bell el personnel nfl smell

Questions

How do you pronounce expel?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪkˈspɛl/.
What does expel mean?: To eject.
Where does expel come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce expel

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “expel”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪkˈspɛl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “expel”.
Repeat and practice — Say “expel” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.