tr.v., -ished, -ish·ing, -ish·es.
- To force to leave a country or place by official decree; exile.
- To drive away; expel: We banished all our doubts and fears.
[Middle English banishen, from Old French banir, baniss-, of Germanic origin.]
banisher ban'ish·er n.banishment ban'ish·ment n.
SYNONYMS banish, exile, expatriate, deport, transport, extradite. These verbs mean to send away from a country or state. Banish applies to forced departure from a country by official decree: The spy was found guilty of treason and banished from the country. Exile specifies voluntary or involuntary departure from one's own country because of adverse circumstances: The royal family was exiled after the uprising. Expatriate pertains to departure that is sometimes forced but often voluntary and may imply change of citizenship: She was expatriated because of her political beliefs. Deport denotes the official act of expelling an alien: The foreigner was deported for entering the country illegally. Transport pertains to sending a criminal abroad, usually to a penal colony: Offenders were transported to Devil's Island. Extradite applies to the delivery of an accused or convicted person to the state or country having jurisdiction over him or her: The court will extradite the terrorists.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
