1
as in expulsion
the forced removal from a homeland
the exile of French settlers from Nova Scotia resulted in the birth of the Cajun community in the U.S.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refugee
a person forced to emigrate for political reasons
after being overthrown in a coup, the dictator spent the remainder of his life as an exile in a string of less-than-welcoming countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to banish
to force to leave a country
with their conquest of the Moors complete, Ferdinand and Isabella next exiled the Jews from Spain
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exile
Deepa Bharath, Twin Cities, 20 Oct. 2025
Israel also freed 242 Palestinian prisoners serving long-term sentences, sending more than half of them into exile.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Anyone pushing back against HUAC was a traitor, a red, and should be exiled.
—Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exile
Noun
In northern India, Diwali honors the triumphant return of Lord Rama, his wife Sita, and brother Lakshmana, from a 14-year exile in the forest.
—Deepa Bharath, Twin Cities, 20 Oct. 2025
Israel also freed 242 Palestinian prisoners serving long-term sentences, sending more than half of them into exile.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
In Sacramento and San Diego, Democrats reign supreme, holding every office and legislative supermajorities so entrenched that opposing views have been exiled.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Anyone pushing back against HUAC was a traitor, a red, and should be exiled.
—Chris Yogerst, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exile
Noun
-
Abrego Garcia, currently in immigration custody, became a symbol of the administration’s hardline deportation policies after courts ruled his initial expulsion to El Salvador violated a standing order.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The party called for the expulsion of the French ambassador, and thousands of people gathered in the streets to pressure the government to act on their demand.—
NPR,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Afghan refugees like him await their asylum decisions in an increasingly hostile climate marked by ICE raids and deportations.—
Vidushi Mishti Sharma,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
-
These include executive orders and regulatory changes to enforce immigration laws more strictly, pause or restrict refugee resettlement, reinstate rapid-expulsion policies like Title 42, expedite deportations, and increase border barrier construction.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The man in the suit, banished from Faik Ağa, had taken up a spot at Irfan’s café.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
When evil forces threaten their magical land of Coventry, the sisters have to band together to banish them.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Denunciations, roundups, missing people, deportations.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Over the past few months, the president has doubled down on his pledge of mass deportations, with escalating crackdowns in Latino neighborhoods in cities including Chicago.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
At the end of the following season, they were relegated on the final day courtesy of defeat at Arsenal, where Wright was among the scorers.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Social media is abuzz with rumors that Disney theme parks might not keep villains around the parks year-round and would instead be relegated to the Halloween season.—
James Factora,
Them.,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
To remove or deport someone from the country?—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Trujillo pointed to efforts to deport Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, as well as the detention of Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Wisconsin State Patrol trooper detected signs of impairment related to drug use, administered field sobriety tests and then arrested and transported him to a hospital for a legal blood draw, according to the release.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Under Georgian law, buying, transporting or selling nuclear or radioactive material is punishable by up to five years in prison and seizing a nuclear material can lead to a sentence of up to 10 years.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Exile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exile. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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