as in to banish
to not allow (someone) to continue being a member of a group and especially the Roman Catholic church
He was excommunicated from the church for his radical practices.
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Recent Examples of excommunicate
Ex-Prince Andrew has effectively been excommunicated from the royal family as a result of his actions.
—
Emma Banks, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
The Vatican promptly excommunicated Lefebvre and the four other bishops, and the group today still has no legal status in the Catholic Church.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
His brother, a defrocked Catholic priest with a Cessna Skyhawk aircraft and a Lincoln Continental, was excommunicated for marrying his secretary.
—Jasper Craven, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The student movement should have immediately excommunicated him.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excommunicate
Emma Banks, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
The Vatican promptly excommunicated Lefebvre and the four other bishops, and the group today still has no legal status in the Catholic Church.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
His brother, a defrocked Catholic priest with a Cessna Skyhawk aircraft and a Lincoln Continental, was excommunicated for marrying his secretary.
—Jasper Craven, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The student movement should have immediately excommunicated him.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for excommunicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excommunicate
Verb
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By the end of that show, the anxiety and isolation that freight life in the closet had burned away, leaving a happy, hopeful ending in place of familiar narrative disaster; love is found, secrecy is banished, and all is well.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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Something’s lost in the translation, but with dazzling costumes, hyper-energetic singing and dancing and joyful spirit filling the Nederlander, quibbles end up banished beyond the flats.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Andrew and Epstein cast a shadow Raising the stakes is the shadow of the king’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his royal title of Prince Andrew, exiled from public life and put under police investigation over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.—
Jill Lawless,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Raising the stakes is the shadow of the king’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his royal title of Prince Andrew, exiled from public life and put under police investigation over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Under certain circumstances, these excluded victims and others who missed earlier filing deadlines can still sue the Sacklers directly.—
Craig R. McCoy,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
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The Chinese version of Apple Maps doesn’t recognize the sovereignty of Taiwan, and the Chinese version of iOS excludes Taiwan’s flag from the emoji keyboard.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Eventually, the British expelled Argentina from the islands in 1833 and established the Falklands as an official colony.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
25 Apr. 2026
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The government later broke ties with France, the former colonial power, and expelled the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which completed its withdrawal in 2023, ending a decade-long presence in the country.—
Jewel Bright,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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She was subsequently kicked off the worship team, her family was ostracized and the man who’d attacked her was left unpunished.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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He’s ostracized, bullied, ridiculed, beaten.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pautler recommends ejecting pods after each use, as well as occasionally rinsing removable parts of the machines.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was ejected from Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals series against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center after striking Houston All-Star center Alperen Şengün in the head with his left forearm.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That lawsuit, along with a countersuit by the PGA Tour, was dismissed a year later.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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There’s too much effort, too much time, and too much sincerity apparent behind this film to dismiss it outright.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Excommunicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excommunicate. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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