What does deport mean?
To deport is to compel a person who is not a citizen — or otherwise has no legal right to remain — to leave a country, usually by official order. Governments typically deport individuals for entering unlawfully, overstaying visas, committing crimes, or being deemed a threat to public order, and the act is carried out through formal immigration or judicial processes rather than private action. The word carries considerable gravity: it evokes border control, legal proceedings, and often personal upheaval, making it a fixture of news reporting and political debate. A secondary, now largely literary sense survives in the reflexive phrase 'to deport oneself', meaning to behave or conduct oneself in a certain manner, as in 'she deported herself with dignity'. Derived forms such as deportation (the act or process) and deportee (the person removed) are common in legal and journalistic contexts. The word ultimately derives from Latin deportare, 'to carry away', a root it shares with transport and portable — a reminder that at its core, deportation is quite literally the carrying of a person out of a land.
To legally force a foreigner to leave a country, especially because they have no right to remain or are considered undesirable.
"The court ruled that the authorities could not deport her while her appeal was pending."
Usually used in the passive or with a governmental agent as subject.
(Formal or dated, reflexive) To behave or conduct oneself in a specified way.
"He deported himself honourably throughout the negotiations."
Almost always reflexive ('deport oneself'); now chiefly literary or historical.
The same Latin root that gives us 'portable' and 'transport' gave us 'deport' — literally 'to carry away', which is exactly what it still means.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deport
Deport comes from the Latin verb deportare, formed from the prefix de- ('away') plus portare ('to carry'), so its literal sense was 'to carry off or away'. It entered English via French in the late 15th century, first meaning to banish or send into exile, before developing its modern legal sense of expelling foreigners from a country. The same Latin root portare underlies a whole family of English words including transport, export, import, and portable. The reflexive sense 'to deport oneself' reflects an older French usage relating to bearing or conduct, from which the noun deportment also derives.
Related word forms
How deport is actually used
In modern usage, deport almost always refers to official expulsion of non-citizens and carries serious legal and political weight; it is neutral in register but emotionally charged in context. The reflexive sense ('deport oneself') is now largely confined to formal, literary, or historical writing.
Easily confused with deport
Deportment is a noun meaning one's manner of behaving or carrying oneself, whereas deport is a verb meaning chiefly to expel someone from a country.