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• exodus
  exodus

  noun

  a going out; a departure or emigration, usually of a large number of people.
• Exodus
  Exodus

  noun

  the departure of the Israelites from Egypt led by Moses

exodus

American  

[ek-suh-duhs] / ˈɛk sə dəs /

noun

1. a going out; a departure or emigration, usually of a large number of people.

   the summer exodus to the country and shore.

2. the Exodus, the departure of the Israelites from Egypt under Moses.

3. (initial capital letter) the second book of the Bible, containing an account of the Exodus. Ex.

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Exodus ¹ British  

/ ˈɛksədəs /

noun

1. the departure of the Israelites from Egypt led by Moses

2. the second book of the Old Testament, recounting the events connected with this and the divine visitation of Moses at Mount Sinai

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exodus ² British  

/ ˈɛksədəs /

noun

1. the act or an instance of going out

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Exodus Cultural  

1. The second book of the Old Testament; it tells of the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt (see also Egypt), made possible by the ten plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. Moses led them, and their destination was the Promised Land. God guided them by sending a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to show them the way they should go. God also fed them with manna and gave them water out of a solid rock. Because of their frequent complaining and failure to trust him, however, God made them stay in the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. God gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Mosaic law on Mount Sinai during the Exodus. Exodus is a Greek word meaning “departure.”

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Etymology

Origin of exodus

First recorded before 1000; from Late Latin, the name of the second book of the Bible, from Greek éxodos “a going out, marching out,” equivalent to ex- “out of” + (h)odós “way”; see ex- ³

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Explanation

If the fire alarm goes off in your building, be sure to join the exodus of people who are heading outside to the parking lot. This is a departure of a large number of people. Exodus is the title of the second book of the Bible’s Old Testament in which the Israelites escape slavery in Egypt, but the term can refer to any sudden departure of a group of people. This noun is often coupled with the adjective mass, as in “mass exodus,” which usually indicates that almost everyone leaves at the same time. The reasons for this departure can be hostile, as during a war, or not, as when everyone exits the movie theater after the show's over.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exodus Exodus

The partner exodus at Weil reflects upheaval in the legal industry as firms compete fiercely for top talent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

The exodus at New State included two of the firm’s three founding partners.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Business lobbying group the Confederation of British Industry has called for urgent action to halt the exodus of firms from the London Stock Exchange.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Schiff said the new data further demonstrate “the urgent need to act and pass a federal film tax proposal to stop the exodus of production to other countries offering more competitive incentives.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The crowd’s in a mass exodus toward the street.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

The required readings, which don't come into effect until 2030, include Bible passages about Adam and Eve and from the book of Exodus, where God speaks to Moses through a burning bush.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

The Book of Exodus famously renders this principle as “an eye for an eye,” making revenge anatomical, as if it were as natural as we are.

From Salon ● May 19, 2026

Mr. Dreisbach notes the powerful importance of the Exodus story of providential liberation and deliverance as the model for Americans’ rebellion against Britain’s pharaonic royalty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025

And so the plans for Operation Exodus were set: The Rainbow Warrior would move the entire population of Rongelap 100 miles south, to the uninhabited island of Mejato.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025

She took me to that house of humans, which was filled with all manner of love, put me in the bed, put Exodus on the CD player, and turned the volume down to a whisper.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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Related Words

• departure
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