To save this word, you'll need to log in.
ex·ile | \ ˈeg-ˌzī(-ə)l 
, ˈek-ˌsī(-ə)l \
, ˈek-ˌsī(-ə)l \Definition of exile
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : 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
exile
verbexiled; exiling
Definition of exile (Entry 2 of 2)
: to banish or expel from one's own country or home
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from exile
Noun
exilic \ eg-ˈzi-lik \ adjective
\ adjective
Examples of exile in a Sentence
Noun
They hoped that his exile would be temporary.
Many chose to live as exiles rather than face persecution. Verb
with their conquest of the Moors complete, Ferdinand and Isabella next exiled the Jews from Spain
See More
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun He was sent into exile on the Isle of Elba in 1814.
—
Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "The First Investigation Into the Allied Waterloo Field Hospital Is Unearthing Cannonballs—and Limbs," 18 July 2019 Mas Canosa's leadership also touched the lives of some exiles on a more immediate basis.
—
Christopher Marquis, miamiherald, "Jorge Mas Canosa dead at 58," 15 June 2018 In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte returned to Paris after escaping his exile on Elba, beginning his ‘‘Hundred Days’’ rule.
—
BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 20 Mar. 2018 Several women and girls have died during their exile.
—
Washington Post, "Menstruation huts destroyed in Nepal, where exile persists," 17 Jan. 2020 But was Mountbatten behind his exile as depicted in The Crown — or was this just a simple naval posting?
—
Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, "The Crown: Did the Royal Family Intervene in Prince Charles and Camilla's Relationship in the '70s?," 14 Dec. 2019 During the first few months of his exile, Murugan hadn’t been able to write anything.
—
Amitava Kumar, The New Yorker, "How Perumal Murugan Was Resurrected Through Writing," 12 Dec. 2019 None had invited Kaepernick to one of those workouts since his protests of racial injustices led to his exile from the league, and the timing of a Saturday event is not conducive to getting top decision-makers to attend.
—
Mike Finger, ExpressNews.com, "As Colin Kaepernick gets set to show stuff, will anyone’s mind change?," 14 Nov. 2019 The Serie A giants have had a lifelong love affair with the European Cup, making their Champions League exile all the more painful for their supporters.
—
SI.com, "The 8 Teams That Have Won More Than 200 European Matches," 24 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb But the truth is, very few cancelled celebrities are exiled for long.
—
Anne Cohen, refinery29.com, "Mel Gibson’s 2020 Is Loaded With Projects. But, Uh, Wasn’t He Cancelled?," 22 Jan. 2020 Thus, the man who was arguably the best player in baseball was exiled for a promise of $100,000, or about $1.5 million in today’s dollars.
—
Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, "When the Yankees Got the Larger-Than-Life Babe Ruth," 24 Dec. 2019 Nike is a major business partner of the NFL, making it awkward at times given the company's deepening ties to Kaepernick, who was informally exiled from professional football three years ago.
—
Kate Gibson, CBS News, "Nike's new Colin Kaepernick shoe sells out in minutes," 23 Dec. 2019 The tree’s lineage is believed to go back to the weeping willow that, as legend goes, Napoleon would sit beneath after the French emperor was exiled in 1815 to the far-off island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic.
—
Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "‘It has a story to tell’: How a descendant of Napoleon’s willow tree took root on a Seattle hillside," 30 Oct. 2018 In a scene that mirrors but doesn’t duplicate her later rescue of Steve Trevor, young Diana pulls a teenage girl named Alia Keralis out of a shipwreck, which could get the young Amazon exiled.
—
cleveland, "An amazing year ahead for Wonder Woman: Captain Comics," 23 Jan. 2020 The custom of exiling menstruating women has persisted in parts of west Nepal though the Supreme Court banned it in 2005.
—
Washington Post, "Menstruation huts destroyed in Nepal, where exile persists," 17 Jan. 2020 Director Robert Eggers dares anyone to leave for North America with this horrifying tale of a Puritan family exiled from Plymouth Colony.
—
Jason Herbert, Smithsonian Magazine, "What Were the Best History Movies of the Decade?," 31 Dec. 2019 The vinyl revival that’s been gleefully exiling CD players off to the Island of Misfit Toys for the past several years has its pros and cons.
—
Jim Allen, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Turntables at Any Price You Can Buy Right Now," 30 Dec. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for exile
exile
noun English Language Learners Definition of exile
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
exile
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of exile (Entry 2 of 2)
: to force (someone) to go to live in a distant place or foreign country : to force (someone) into exile
See the full definition for exile in the English Language Learners Dictionary
exile
nounex·ile | \ ˈeg-ˌzīl , ˈek-ˌsīl \
, ˈek-ˌsīl \Kids Definition of exile
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : the situation of a person who is forced to leave his or her own country
He's living in exile.
2 : the period of time someone is forced to live away from his or her country
a 20 year exile
3 : a person who is forced to leave his or her own country
exile
verbexiled; exiling
Kids Definition of exile (Entry 2 of 2)
: to force (someone) to leave his or her own country
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on exile
What made you want to look up exile? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
More Confusing Words—Quiz
- The magician
______moved the selected card to the top of the deck.
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
- More Confusing Words—Quiz
How many of these commonly confused words do you know?
Take the quiz - Name that Thing: Toys and Games Edition
It's all fun and games until someone beats your high score.
Take the quiz - Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz - Citation
Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?
Play the game
Share exile
Time Traveler for exile
The first known use of exile was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century