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.
the Exile, the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, 597–538 b.c.
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
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English exil “banishment,” from Latin ex(s)ilium, equivalent to exsul “banished person” + -ium -ium
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.
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They are shibboleths spoken at borders where a syllable can decide belonging or exile.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
They noted: "Through this deeply personal and powerful film, she gave audiences a story of identity, freedom, exile and resistance that continues to resonate across the world."
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
The U.S. oil giant is in talks to resume pumping oil in the Latin American country after a 19-year exile, but plenty of hurdles remain.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
Pulitzer winner Ada Ferrer’s of-the-moment new memoir, “Keeper of My Kin,” examines the agonizing personal costs of the Cuban exile and the families left fractured in its wake.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
She smiled on him and said: ‘Then it was kindly done, lord, to ride so many miles out of your way to bring tidings to Éowyn, and to speak with her in her exile.’
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
