1
as in expulsions
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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refugees
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 banishes
to force to leave a country
with their conquest of the Moors complete, Ferdinand and Isabella next exiled the Jews from Spain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exiles
Kevin A. Young, The Conversation, 8 June 2026
The failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, launched by Cuban exiles with CIA backing, became both a defining trauma and a lasting symbol of unfinished struggle.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026
Castro, who served as defense minister in the 1990s, was charged with ordering the 1996 downing of two planes over Cuban territory flown by members of Brothers to the Rescue, a group of Florida exiles opposed to the Castro regime.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
The charges revolve around a 1996 incident in which the Cuban government shot down two civilian planes belonging to a group of Cuban exiles whose goal was to rescue refugees in rafts in the waters between Cuba and Florida.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Families of four Cuban exiles who were killed in 1996 when the Cuban military shot down their civilian planes said Wednesday’s indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro was a long time coming.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC news, 20 May 2026
Earlier in the day, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced an indictment of former first secretary Raul Castro, the brother of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in relation to the 1996 downing of two airplanes operated by Cuban exiles.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 20 May 2026
For Miami exiles, Cuban forces’ shooting down in 1996 of two civilian planes belonging to the volunteer group Brothers to the Rescue – killing four Cuban-Americans aboard – represents a crime that has gone unpunished for over 30 years.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
In 1978, Castro surprised Cuban exiles by inviting them to visit the island.
—Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
In 1976, Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch, two Cuban exiles, planned the bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner near Barbados that killed all 73 people aboard.
—Kevin A. Young, The Conversation, 8 June 2026
The failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, launched by Cuban exiles with CIA backing, became both a defining trauma and a lasting symbol of unfinished struggle.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026
Castro, who served as defense minister in the 1990s, was charged with ordering the 1996 downing of two planes over Cuban territory flown by members of Brothers to the Rescue, a group of Florida exiles opposed to the Castro regime.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
The charges revolve around a 1996 incident in which the Cuban government shot down two civilian planes belonging to a group of Cuban exiles whose goal was to rescue refugees in rafts in the waters between Cuba and Florida.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Families of four Cuban exiles who were killed in 1996 when the Cuban military shot down their civilian planes said Wednesday’s indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro was a long time coming.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC news, 20 May 2026
Earlier in the day, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced an indictment of former first secretary Raul Castro, the brother of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in relation to the 1996 downing of two airplanes operated by Cuban exiles.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 20 May 2026
For Miami exiles, Cuban forces’ shooting down in 1996 of two civilian planes belonging to the volunteer group Brothers to the Rescue – killing four Cuban-Americans aboard – represents a crime that has gone unpunished for over 30 years.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
In 1978, Castro surprised Cuban exiles by inviting them to visit the island.
—Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Verb
This practice exiles him completely from the realm of literary fiction; some might even question whether Patterson is really a writer.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exiles
Noun
-
Diabetes experts in an uproar over meeting expulsions Five days ago, security officers escorted five diabetes experts out of the American Diabetes Association meeting for handing out copies of an editorial criticizing federal research cuts.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
10 June 2026
-
Coronal mass ejections are expulsions of solar material from the sun’s corona, or its outermost layer of atmosphere.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Rome strengthened legal protections for child refugees amid the European migrant crisis a decade ago.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
-
While Colombia, Germany and Turkey hosted more than 2 million refugees each, the majority live in low- to middle-income countries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
With ingredients like pumice and 10% AHA (in the form of skin-brightening glycolic and lactic acids), the product effectively banishes dead skin and smooths out uneven sandpaper-like texture on the body.—
Cheryl Fenton,
Parents,
14 June 2026
-
This rechargeable mosquito repeller is a bug spray alternative that banishes those pesky pests within a 20-foot radius.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The Republican backed spending legislation drastically increases funding for immigration enforcement efforts, likely leading to more detentions and deportations.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 July 2025
-
Among independents, 59% were against the deportations and 41% were for them.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
Verb
-
Like any adaptation, even one that unfolds over four hours, Death by Lightning has to make some hard choices, and creator Mike Makowsky, whose credits include the terrifically entertaining HBO true-crime comedy Bad Education, relegates Bell and Bliss to the sidelines.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
6 Nov. 2025
-
By stopping in 1957, the retelling falsely relegates educational inequality to the past.—
Time,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Trump tear-gasses children, rips them from their parents, and deports farmworkers.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
-
The drama is based on a 2022 Washington Post article that offered a rare look into how the unit tracks, arrests, and deports fugitives with speed and discretion.—
Time,
Time,
9 July 2025
Verb
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The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’s Dinosphere exhibit incorporates scents into its immersive world, which transports visitors back to the Late Cretaceous period between 68 and 66 million years ago.—
RJ Mackenzie,
Popular Science,
11 June 2026
-
Iron is an essential mineral necessary to make hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exiles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exiles. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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