exodus

noun ex·o·dus \ ˈek-sə-dəs , ˈeg-zə- \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Examples: exodus in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Don't Leave Without the History of exodos

Definition of exodus

1 capitalized : the mainly narrative second book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture — see Bible Table

2 : a mass departure : emigration

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Examples of exodus in a Sentence

the mass exodus from the cities for the beaches and the mountains on most summer weekends

Recent Examples of exodus from the Web

Indeed, Tenn told me Subaru had to build the new, three-row Ascent SUV, which arrives in the showrooms next month, to halt the exodus of customers in need of more room.

— al haas, Philly.com, "Roomy three-row SUVs appeal to 'child-raising generation'," 7 June 2018
On every level, climate change on long time scales has really powerfully shaped human history; it’s in the section in the book on the exodus from Africa.

— National Geographic, "The Extraordinary Ways Weather Has Changed Human History," 30 May 2018
The exodus has strained the social safety nets of Venezuela's neighbors, particularly in Boa Vista, where the 40,000 who have settled in shelters and public spaces now account for 10% of the city's population.

— jill langlois, latimes.com, "Escaping Venezuela: They pour into Brazil by the thousands looking for work," 24 May 2018
The country faces widespread hunger, rampant crime, a failing health system and a large-scale exodus of its citizens.

— New York Times, "As Trump Adds Sanctions on Venezuela, Its Neighbors Reject Election Result," 21 May 2018
The exodus came as the industrial behemoth plunged 23 percent.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Investors dump GE shares," 17 May 2018
The exodus started haltingly but steadily gathered pace.

— The Economist, "Opening the gatesChinese travellers of all sorts have become ubiquitous," 17 May 2018
The Bloomberg analysis said the exodus of people from California is causing the wealth gap in places like Boise, Idaho, to rise.

— phillip molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Wealth gap grows in San Diego, report says," 11 May 2018
Don't rule out the phone call, but do not conclude an exodus is a given.

— mac engel, star-telegram, "Del Conte changing Texas, and not coming after TCU ... yet | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 9 May 2018

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

Don't Leave Without the History of exodos

The Biblical book of Exodus describes the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, so it's no surprise that the word has come to refer more generally to any mass departure. The word itself was adopted into English (via Latin) from Greek Exodos, which literally means "the road out." The Greek word was formed by combining the prefix ex- and hodos, meaning "road" or "way." Other descendants of the prolific hodos in English include episode, method, odometer, and period. There are also several scientific words that can be traced back to hodos. Anode and cathode can refer, respectively, to the positive and negative electrodes of a diode, and hodoscope refers to an instrument for tracing the paths of ionizing particles.