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Synonyms

exile

American  
[eg-zahyl, ek-sahyl] / ˈɛg zaɪl, ˈɛk saɪl /

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 British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Exile 2 British  
/ ˈɛɡzaɪl, ˈɛksaɪl /

noun

  1. another name for Babylonian captivity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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

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

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.

How Tereza’s exile helps her countrymen isn’t quite clear, but I suspect it starts with giving someone younger her house and her job.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

"We know every stage of its history, from Napoleon's exile on Saint Helena right up to the present day."

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

From the first days of his rule, the Fidel Castro referred to Cubans who went into exile as “gusanos,” Spanish for worms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

But he lived abroad from the 1960s until 1999, mainly writing and teaching in France and Spain, before ending what he called his "voluntary exile" and returning to Peru.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Braavos provided a Lyseni exile with a hundred warships, Aegon Targaryen flew forth from Dragon- stone on the Black Dread, and Myr and Lys rose up in rebellion.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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.