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Expunge vs Expel - What's the difference?

expunge | expel |

As verbs the difference between expunge and expel

is that expunge is to erase or strike out while expel is to eject or erupt.

expunge

English

Verb

(expung)
  • To erase or strike out.
  • To eliminate completely; annihilate.
  • Derived terms

    * expunction

    expel

    English

    Verb

  • To eject or erupt.
  • (obsolete) To fire (a bullet, arrow etc.).
  • * , II.xi:
  • But to the ground the idle quarrell fell: / Then he another and another did expell .
  • To remove from membership.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 14, author=Angelique Chrisafis
  • , title=Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism, work=Guardian citation , page=, passage=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.}}
  • To deport.
  • Synonyms

    * (l), (l), (l), (l), turf out

    Antonyms

    * impel