noun

deportation

/dɪˌpɔːrˈteɪʃən/ · say it: dih·por·TAY·shun

forcing a foreigner to leave a country

In From the Front Page

In more detail

1. (noun) the official forced removal of a person from a country, usually because they entered or stayed illegally

2. (noun) the act or process of sending someone out of a country

Examples

1. The immigrant faces deportation if he cannot prove his legal status.
2. The government announced new deportation procedures for undocumented workers.

How to use deportation

Deportation refers to the forced, official removal of a non-citizen from a country, typically due to immigration violations or criminal convictions. It is a legal and administrative process that differs from extradition (return to another country for trial). The term appears frequently in legal, policy, and journalistic contexts.

Common phrases

face deportation
threat of deportation
deportation order
deportation proceedings
mass deportation
pending deportation

Synonyms

expulsion · extradition · removal · banishment · exile

Opposites

admission · immigration · naturalization

Word family

deport (verb) · deportable (adjective) · deportee (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse deportation with extradition; extradition involves returning someone to face charges in another country, while deportation is removal from the country one is in.

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