Definition of EXILE

Choose the Right Synonym for exile

Verb

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

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Margaret was removed from power and forced into exile while John Stewart, the Duke of Albany—a pro-French, anti-England noble favored by Parliament, who also happened to be Margaret's late husband's cousin—took over as regent for her son, James V. — Liz Cantrell, Town & Country, "How Margaret Tudor Became One of the Most Influential Queens in British History," 20 May 2019 Cyrus’s most renowned act of mercy was to free the captive Jews, whom Nebuchadrezzar II had forced into exile in Babylon. — National Geographic, "Who was Cyrus the Great?," 6 May 2019 In his six years in office, Mr. Maduro’s security forces have killed dozens of protesters, arrested leading opposition figures and forced many others into exile. — Ryan Dube, WSJ, "Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó, President Nicolás Maduro Face Off in Dueling Speeches," 25 Jan. 2019 In a speech to Venezuela’s exile community in South Florida on Monday, Trump warned Venezuela’s military that standing by Maduro could bring disastrous consequences. — Fabiola Sanchez, The Seattle Times, "AP Explains: Venezuela opposition’s fight to win over troops," 20 Feb. 2019 The Venezuelan exile community is particularly large in Florida, especially amid the country’s recent outpouring of refugees. — Gaby Del Valle, Vox, "Why is Marco Rubio tweeting about Salt Bae?," 18 Sep. 2018 Ms Shirazi recalled that Pervez Musharraf, the general who toppled Mr Sharif in 1999, had at least allowed journalists to cover the return from exile in 2007 of Benazir Bhutto, another powerful civilian leader feared by the army. — The Economist, "Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan, and jail," 14 July 2018 Those are to start early next year and will signal the return of orbital human spaceflight to U.S. soil after years of exile in Russia. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The Virgin Galactic Hype Totally Misses the Point," 13 Dec. 2018 Tibbo said Hong Kong rejected Rodel’s asylum request and since then officials there have grilled her over her contacts with Snowden, who now lives in exile in Russia. — Rob Gillies, The Seattle Times, "Canada takes refugee who sheltered Snowden," 26 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

This led to a melee during which the teacher got hit, and Rebecca was exiled to an external education program. — Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, "She was tossed from a hospital on a cold night wearing only a gown. The viral video followed years of struggles.," 13 Apr. 2018 Having left office with allegations of embezzlement and human rights violations hanging over him, Saakashvili exiled himself to the U.S. — Ian Bremmer, Time, "The 5 Most Wanted Geopolitical Fugitives of 2018," 30 Jan. 2018 Within that territory, eighty percent of the Arab population had been exiled and Jews now made up a majority. — Nathan Thrall, Time, "How the Idea of Return Has Shaped the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for 70 Years," 14 May 2018 Something is wrong, has been wrong since her childhood, when her family was exiled after the revolution in Iran. — Lidija Haas, The New Yorker, "Memoirs of Disease and Disbelief," 17 June 2014 Of course, this doesn't go over well and Tall Boy is immediately stripped of his jacket and exiled from the Serpents. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "OK, But Who The Heck is Tall Boy on "Riverdale"?," 24 Jan. 2019 After all, for decades Claridge’s has held supreme client boasting rights; its devotees have included royals (current, retired, and exiled), movie stars, and other such creatures. — Town & Country, "Wall of Shame: What Happens to Controversial Portrait Walls in the #MeToo Era?," 30 Nov. 2018 When all canines are exiled to a garbage dump island, a 12-year-old boy sets out to find his bodyguard dog in this animated film. — Kevin Crust, latimes.com, "L.A. movie openings, March 23," 18 Mar. 2018 Slated to come out later this year, the film stars Lucas Hedges as a gay teen pressured by his family Baptist parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) to enter a conversion therapy program — or else be exiled by his family and church. — Mathew Shurka, Teen Vogue, ""The Miseducation of Cameron Post" and "Boy Erased" Are Putting an Important Spotlight on Conversion Therapy," 3 Aug. 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.