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”; ex- ³

Example Sentences

Most of his shows represent some version of this exodus.

From Salon

Awoniyi's late third sparked an exodus - some fans had already started leaving with 20 minutes left - and those who remained booed the team off.

From BBC

But in rural Serbia, where house prices are kept low by an aging population and the constant exodus of young people to the cities and overseas for work, we found places we could afford.

From The Wall Street Journal

For now, there is no major exodus of refugees from Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hosseini doesn’t expect a mass exodus to Dell following the latest round of headlines, and any business that does change hands will come with the same caveat.

From Barron's

Related Words

• departure
• evacuation
• flight
• migration
• withdrawal