exile

[eg-zahyl, ek-sahyl]

noun

1. expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.

2. the fact or state of expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.

   She had to live in exile.

3. a person banished from their native land.

4. prolonged separation from one's country or home, such as by force of circumstances.

   Many will suffer wartime exile.

5. anyone separated from their country or home voluntarily or by force of circumstances.

6. the Exile, the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, 597–538 b.c.

verb (used with object)

exiled, exiling 

1. to expel or banish (a person) from their country; expatriate.

   Synonyms: deport, eject, evict

2. to separate from country, home, etc..

   Disagreements exiled him from his family.

   Synonyms: deport, eject, evict

exile

¹

/ ˈɛksaɪl, ɛɡˈzɪlɪk, ɛkˈsɪlɪk, ˈɛɡzaɪl /

noun

1. a prolonged, usually enforced absence from one's home or country; banishment

2. the expulsion of a person from his native land by official decree

3. a person banished or living away from his home or country; expatriate

verb

1. to expel from home or country, esp by official decree as a punishment; banish

Exile

²

/ ˈɛɡzaɪl, ˈɛksaɪl /

noun

1. another name for Babylonian captivity

Other Word Forms

• exilable adjective
• exiler noun
• quasi-exiled adjective
• unexiled adjective
• exilic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of exile¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English exil “banishment,” from Latin ex(s)ilium, equivalent to exsul “banished person” + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of exile¹

C13: from Latin exsilium banishment, from exsul banished person; perhaps related to Greek alasthai to wander

Example Sentences

It and its leader Domingos Simoes Pereira, who only recently returned from exile, were disqualified from running after the Supreme Court ruled their legislative and presidential applications had been submitted after the deadline.

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In 424 B.C., he was exiled for 20 years after failing to block its advance—a humiliation that obliged him to reappear in his own narrative.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For Delhi, the challenge is not just managing a fallen ally in exile, but preserving a neighbour central to its security - from counterterrorism and border management to access to its restive north-eastern region.

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"Wicked: For Good" picks up several years after the first "Wicked," with Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba now living as a rebel in exile, unfairly smeared by all as an evil witch.

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Guinean singer Elie Kamano, who lives in exile, said on social media Sunday that two of his children, age 14 and 16, plus a 16-year-old nephew and his brother, a gendarme, had been abducted.

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Related Words

• banish 
• displace 
• drive out www.thesaurus.com
• evacuate 
• expel 
• extradite 
• ostracize 
• oust 
• outlaw 
• relegate