exile
noun
expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.
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exile
American
[eg-zahyl, ek-sahyl]
/ ˈɛg zaɪl, ˈɛk saɪl /
noun
-
exiles
plural
-
expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.
-
the fact or state of expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.
She had to live in exile.
-
a person banished from their native land.
-
prolonged separation from one's country or home, such as by force of circumstances.
Many will suffer wartime exile.
-
anyone separated from their country or home voluntarily or by force of circumstances.
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the Exile, the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, 597–538 b.c.
verb (used with object)
-
exiles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exiled,
past participle, past
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exiling
present participle
exile
1
British
/ ˈɛksaɪl, ɛɡˈzɪlɪk, ɛkˈsɪlɪk, ˈɛɡzaɪl /
noun
-
a prolonged, usually enforced absence from one's home or country; banishment
-
the expulsion of a person from his native land by official decree
-
a person banished or living away from his home or country; expatriate
verb
Exile
2
British
/ ˈɛɡzaɪl, ˈɛksaɪl /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exilesimple
-
exilessimple
-
have exiledperfect
-
has exiledperfect
-
am exilingprogressive
-
are exilingprogressive
-
is exilingprogressive
-
have been exilingperfect progressive
-
has been exilingperfect progressive
Past
-
exiledsimple
-
had exiledperfect
-
was exilingprogressive
-
were exilingprogressive
-
had been exilingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exile
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English exil “banishment,” from Latin ex(s)ilium, equivalent to exsul “banished person” + -ium -ium
Explanation
If you are exiled from a place, you must leave and not return. Such punishment is called exile. For example, after he was removed from power, Napoleon lived in exile on the island of Elba. The verb exile comes from the Old French word essillier, meaning “banish, expel, or drive off.” However, some people who live in exile do so happily — and voluntarily — like American citizens in exile in Paris. Don't confuse being exiled with being banned: exile is for countries. If you cause trouble at a restaurant, you might be banned from returning, not exiled.
Vocabulary lists containing exile
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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Persepolis
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Assad, who fled to exile in Russia after he was pushed from power in December 2024, was convicted in absentia along with his brother Maher, who was an important military commander in the former regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The locations seemed far removed from the luxurious lifestyle Assad is reported to be leading in exile in Russia, and to the life Luka himself once led in Syria.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
She thanks Khalida Popal, who founded the original Afghan women's team, for pushing Fifa to recognise them now they are in exile.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Rubio is knowledgeable about "the pain of the Cuban exile... because he is a product of South Florida," Bovo added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Their fathers were in exile, fighting for the cause.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Exile, in Joyce’s case, was determined and purposeful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Another horror remake - of psychological classic Silent Hill 2 - got a release date and new footage, and top-down RPG Path of Exile 2 was also shown.
From BBC ● May 31, 2024
Then four years later, the Rolling Stones installed themselves on the Riviera for the challenging basement recording of "Exile on Main St."
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2023
David W. Stowe teaches religious studies at Michigan State University and is the author, most recently, of “Song of Exile: The Enduring Mystery of Psalm 137.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
Even a remote village of the Guthen Coast has radio, and they could not have pleaded ignorance of the Order of Exile; only real ignorance of their guest’s identity might give them some excuse.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
In the 1930s and 1940s, postrevolutionary Mexico emerged as both an incubator of modern art and haven for European refugees, political exiles and other expats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
For a woman who Hollywood exiles into the Nevada desert, only for her to build an empire and return to Los Angeles to conquer the industry, besting cancer should be a cinch.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
A former Cuban spy who infiltrated a group of Florida anti-communist exiles in the 1990s told AFP that Havana's fatal shootdown of two planes piloted by the activists set the stage for devastating US sanctions.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
The organisation Brothers to the Rescue soon emerged in Miami, founded by Cuban exiles and led by José Basulto.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Didn’t tell me he was a fugitive, but us exiles don’t get into that kinda talk.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
But Rangzen’s fellow exiled Tibetans, who have struggled to win international attention for their opposition to Chinese communist rule, greeted his passing with anguish -- and respect.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
In his 2012 autobiography "An American Son," the man oft-memed as the "viceroy" of Cuba, recounts boasting to his exiled Cuban grandfather that he would one day overthrow Fidel Castro and free Cuba.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Dumfries has links going back to World War Two when it played host to the exiled Norwegian army.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Aang befriended Zuko, an exiled Fire Nation prince who at first hunted Aang to regain his father’s approval before joining his quarry’s mission to restore peace.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Pain was exiled to the nearly invisible lines shooting out from the eyes.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
In 1952 his re-entry permit to the U.S. was revoked, effectively exiling him for nearly 20 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025
He said that invading forces had ransacked his offices, exiling his team to another location where they are attempting to continue running their city.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2022
She also heeds Logan's orders, exiling Kendall, her own child, from her party to accommodate her ex-husband, who won't be seen with him.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2021
The loyalists still shun pop culture and defend Jeffs’s practice of exiling dissenters.
From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2021
Bitter local officials pushed through an ordinance banning automobiles from the Stanford campus and all tourist areas, effectively exiling them from the city.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
