exile

1 of 2

noun

ex·ile ˈeg-ˌzī(-ə)l

ˈek-ˌsī(-ə)l

Synonyms of exile next

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

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

: a person who is in exile

exilic

eg-ˈzi-lik

adjective

exile

2 of 2

verb

exiled; exiling

transitive verb

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

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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

Displacement, life in exile, and loss are all recurrent themes in your work, but so is the threat of authoritarianism. —

Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 During the Civil War, Virginians loyal to the United States established a state government in exile, first in Wheeling (now part of West Virginia) and then in Alexandria. —

Gillian Brockell, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2023 Rather, there has been a convergence of sorts—Brexit exiles arriving, new tax incentives for businesses, the city's revamping of a handful of rundown districts. —

Kerry Olsen, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Aug. 2023 Poland neighbors Russia's close ally Belarus, where Prigozhin and some of his fighters went into exile after leading a mercenary rebellion in June. —

NBC News, 24 Aug. 2023 The rebellion failed, and Putin allowed Prigozhin to go into exile in Belarus. —

George Petras, USA TODAY, 23 Aug. 2023 After marching his 25,000-strong mercenary forces to within 125 miles of Moscow, Prigozhin abruptly ended the operation and ordered his troops to return home before heading into exile in Belarus. —

Greg Norman, Fox News, 23 Aug. 2023 These altogether tell the story of Ahsoka, from Jedi padawan to Jedi exile to a hero in the rebellion. —

Eric Francisco, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2023 Tassi was found guilty and sentenced to exile, but the sentence was never enforced. —

Jillian Steinhauer, The New Republic, 21 Aug. 2023

Verb

Trending Dream Scenario merely toys with nebulous digs at the ways society exiles those figures who are viewed as problematic. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2023 She was exiled to a distant mission and married to a Spanish soldier. —

Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023 The original series ended with Jon being exiled from Westeros and joining the wildlings beyond the Wall to begin a new life. —

Zack Sharf, Variety, 9 Aug. 2023 After the mutiny, the Kremlin said Prigozhin would be exiled in Belarus, and his fighters were offered three options: to follow him there, retire or enlist in Russia's regular army and return to Ukraine, where Wagner mercenaries had fought alongside Russian troops. —

Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2023 Infielder David Fletcher has been exiled to the minor leagues. —

Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023 Prigozhin launched a large-scale uprising against Putin's regime in June that lasted 24 hours before the Kremlin announced Prigozhin would be exiled to Belarus. —

Eden Villalovas, Washington Examiner, 23 Aug. 2023 The warning came as Belarus' neighbors Lithuania, Latvia and Poland boosted border security over concerns about potential violence by Russian Wagner Group mercenary forces exiled to Belarus after their brief mutiny and march toward Moscow. —

Harold Maass, The Week, 22 Aug. 2023 The mercenaries, who fought in some of the war’s most grueling battles, are now helping to train Belarusian armed forces, having been exiled to the country. —

Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 12 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.