v., e·ject·ed, e·ject·ing, e·jects. v.tr.
- To throw out forcefully; expel.
- To compel to leave: ejected the bar patron who started a fight.
- To evict: ejected tenants for lease violations.
- Sports. To disqualify or force (a player or coach) to leave the playing area for the remainder of a game.
To make an emergency exit from an aircraft by deployment of an ejection seat or capsule.
[Middle English ejecten, from Latin ēicere, ēiect- : ē-, ex-, ex- + iacere, to throw.]
ejectable e·ject'a·ble adj.ejective e·jec'tive adj.
SYNONYMS eject, expel, evict, dismiss, oust. These verbs mean to put out by force. To eject is to throw or cast out from within: The fire ejected yellow flames into the night sky. Expel means to drive out or away, and it implies permanent removal: The dean expelled the student for having cheated. Evict most commonly refers to the expulsion of persons from property by legal process: The apartment manager evicted the noisy tenants. Dismiss refers to putting someone or something out of one's mind (trying to dismiss his fears) or, in law, to refusing to give an appeal or a complaint further consideration (dismissed the case for lack of evidence). Oust is applied chiefly to the removal of a person from a position lawfully or otherwise: There were no grounds for ousting the prime minister.
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.
