exile

noun ex·ile \ ˈeg-ˌzī(-ə)l , ˈek-ˌsī(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: exile in a Sentence

Definition of exile

1 a : the state or a period of forced absence from one's country or home

b : the state or a period of voluntary absence from one's country or home

2 : a person who is in exile

—

exilic

play \eg-ˈzi-lik\ adjective

See exile defined for English-language learners

See exile defined for kids

Examples of exile in a Sentence

They hoped that his exile would be temporary.
Many chose to live as exiles rather than face persecution.

Recent Examples of exile from the Web

The leaders of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, or C.N.R.P., have been jailed or driven into exile, and lower-ranking members were harassed into joining Mr. Hun Sen’s party or getting out of politics.

— julia wallace, New York Times, "‘Fireflies’ and ‘Ghosts’ in Cambodia Prop Up Facade of Real Election," 11 July 2018
As well as Iranian exiles, President Donald Trump's lawyer was among the American speakers at the event, which took place in a huge, packed hall in an exhibition center north of Paris.

— NBC News, "Giuliani attended French event where terror plot thwarted," 2 July 2018
Today Aboutreika lives in exile, his name having been placed on a terror list by the Cairo Criminal Court.

— grant wahl, SI.com, "After Remarkable Rise, Mohamed Salah Shoulders Egypt's World Cup Hopes," 29 May 2018
Yameen took the action when the country's Supreme Court tossed out convictions against nine opposition figures imprisoned or forced into exile, including Nasheed.

— fredreka schouten, USA TODAY, "Millions flow to fast-growing lobbying firms with ties to the Trump administration," 17 May 2018
In 1948 the crack of communist boots on cobblestones signalled a second, permanent exile, to America.

— The Economist, "Madeleine Albright’s guide to fascism, past and present," 12 Apr. 2018
According to the latest data from the government in exile, more than 128,000 Tibetans live outside of their homeland.

— sugam pokharel, CNN, "Dalai Lama caught in the middle as India and China reboot ties," 30 Mar. 2018
An accomplished poet and artist, Liu Xia joins several other fellow friends and Chinese intellectuals in exile in Berlin.

— suyin haynes / taipei, Time, "One Year on From His Death, Taiwan Remembers Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo," 13 July 2018
His lot, says Mr Hu, is to remain in China as a hostage, to ensure that Ms Liu minds her tongue in exile.

— The Economist, "China frees the widow of a Nobel peace-prize winner," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of exile

Middle English exil, from Anglo-French essil, exil, from Latin exilium, from exul, exsul an exile

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

exile Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

exile

verb

Definition of exile

exiled; exiling

transitive verb

: to banish or expel from one's own country or home

See exile defined for English-language learners

Examples of exile in a Sentence

with their conquest of the Moors complete, Ferdinand and Isabella next exiled the Jews from Spain

Recent Examples of exile from the Web

Ojeda’s family had been exiled from Cuba in the 1960s.

— cassie owens, Philly.com, "Philly's Gabriel Ojeda-Sague explores identity through Jazzercise in book of poems," 16 Apr. 2018
Blackwell’s Island housed the first and arguably the worst institutions in which the city of New York once exiled the poor, the mad, the criminal and the sick.

— patrick mcgrath, New York Times, "A Dumping Ground for the Poor, the Criminal and the Mad," 28 June 2018
Though Prospero has been exiled from Milan, and has learned sorcery from books to control the island, Miranda knows nothing of her own background.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "Puzzled by Westworld? Look to Shakespeare.," 26 June 2018
Enes supports Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish spiritual leader that lives exiled in Pennsylvania.

— jenna west, SI.com, "Enes Kanter's Father Charged As Terror Group Member by Turkish Government," 18 June 2018
Armstrong, Landis charges, pressured other cyclists to dope, thereby putting those cyclists in an awkward position to either follow the leader and break the law or defy him and be exiled from the team.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Was It the Right Decision for Lance Armstrong to Settle in His Lawsuit With the U.S. Government?," 21 Apr. 2018
Years went by like this, exiled in a foreign country.

— maija liuhto, Longreads, "A Music So Beautiful the Birds Fell from the Trees," 28 June 2018
The album's release came at the same time as the historic One Love Peace Concert, which celebrated Marley's return to Jamaica after being exiled to London.

— dave brooks, Billboard, "Marley Family Comes Together for Kaya Festival in Southern California," 28 Mar. 2018
The family was exiled from their country during World War II, but returned to Serbia after 2000.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "The Serbian Royal Family Welcomes a Baby Boy," 27 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of exile

14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

exile Synonyms

Synonyms

banish, deport, displace, expatriate, relegate, transport;

Near Antonyms

naturalize, repatriate;

accept, admit, receive, take in;

entertain, harbor, house, shelter;

excommunicate, ostracize, reject, repudiate, spurn;

dispossess;

Synonym Discussion of exile

banish, exile, deport, transport mean to remove by authority from a state or country. banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

- banished for seditious activities

exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

- a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare.

- illegal aliens will be deported

transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

- a convict who was transported to Australia

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

EXILE Defined for English Language Learners

exile

noun

Definition of exile for English Language Learners

: a situation in which you are forced to leave your country or home and go to live in a foreign country
: a period of time during which someone has lived in exile
: a person who has been forced to live in a foreign country : a person who is in exile