excommunicate

UK: /ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/

US: /ˌɛkskəˈmjunɪˌkeɪt/

US: (v. eks′kə myo̅o̅′ni kāt′; n., adj. eks′kə myo̅o̅′ni kit, -kāt′)

Inflections of 'excommunicate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

excommunicates

v 3rd person singular

excommunicating

v pres p

excommunicated

v past

excommunicated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ex•com•mu•ni•cate /ˌɛkskəˈmyunɪˌkeɪt/   v. [~ + object] , -cat•ed, -cat•ing. 

1. Religion to cut off from the rites of a church.

ex•com•mu•ni•ca•tion /ˌɛkskəˌmyunɪˈkeɪʃən/  n. [countable* uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ex•com•mu•ni•cate  (v. eks′kə myo̅o̅′ni kāt′;n., adj. eks′kə myo̅o̅′ni kit, -kāt′), v., -cat•ed, -cat•ing, n., adj. 
v.t. 

1. Religion to cut off from communion with a church or exclude from the sacraments of a church by ecclesiastical sentence.
2. Religion to exclude or expel from membership or participation in any group, association, etc.:
   an advertiser excommunicated from a newspaper.

n. 

3. Religion an excommunicated person.

adj. 

4. Religion cut off from communion with a church;
   excommunicated.

• Late Latin excommūnicātus literally, put out of the community (past participle of excommūnicāre), equivalent. to ex- ex-¹ + commūn(is) common, public + -ic- (by analogy with commūnicāre to communicate) + -ātus -ate¹
• late Middle English excommunicaten (verb, verbal) 1375–1425

ex′com•mu′ni•ca′tor, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

excommunicate verb / ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪˌkeɪt/

1. (transitive) to sentence (a member of the Church) to exclusion from the communion of believers and from the privileges and public prayers of the Church

adjective / ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkɪt -ˌkeɪt/

1. having incurred such a sentence

noun / ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkɪt -ˌkeɪt/

1. an excommunicated person

Etymology: 15th Century: from Late Latin excommūnicāre, literally: to exclude from the community, from Latin commūnis common

ˌexcomˈmunicable adjective

ˌexcomˌmuniˈcation noun

ˌexcomˈmunicative, ˌexcomˈmunicatory adjective

ˌexcomˈmunicator noun