exile
noun
expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.
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Which poet wrote his most famous work while in exile?
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.
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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)
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exiled,
past participle, past
-
exiling
present participle
exile
1
British
/ ˈɛksaɪl, 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:
"If they let their people interact with the outside world, they are highly likely to be overthrown, and maybe killed or driven into exile," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The only need he expressed for it was as a fundraising tool for his Tibetan government in exile.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Javier Oropeza had arrived in the country 48 hours earlier after two years in exile in Spain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
This led to his arrest for sedition and, ultimately, his ongoing exile in America.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Christina had been forced to abdicate in 1654, having become a Catholic, and was also living in exile in Rome.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Exile, in Joyce’s case, was determined and purposeful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
His mood was sullen, according to Meridith McGraw, author of Trump in Exile, an account of the former president’s time after leaving the White House.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2024
Exile and loss, battle and betrayal, disinheritance and vengeance, old age and human frailty — of all the grandeur and pathos of “King Lear,” one theme had always stood out for him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 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
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
In Miami or Madrid, they became industrious exiles, sending remittances back to their families in Cuba.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 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
The 91,000 registered voters include Buddhist monks in the high Himalayas, political exiles in South Asia's megacities and refugees in Australia, Europe and North America.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Last she’d heard Lio had made it to Venezuela where a group of exiles was training for an invasion.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Guinea-Bissau's junta leader General Horta N'Tam urged members of the presidential guard loyal to exiled former president Umaro Sissoco Embalo to voluntarily lay down their weapons on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Rocky was exiled to South Philadelphia and installed outside the Spectrum arena, where the 76ers and Flyers played until the 1990s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
María Corina Machado, the exiled leader of the Venezuelan opposition and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, on Thursday raised her own worries about what the oil deal means for the future of Venezuela.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
In 2024 the former Liverpool winger joined Arsenal on loan, but upon returning to Chelsea in 2025 was exiled from the first-team squad and made to train separately.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Sacrilege and lies! Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking thus!”
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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
When his boss threatens to uproot his homeland by exiling its residents, Sandi defies the mobster, fleeing with his son soon afterward.
From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2023
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
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.
