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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

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

Phillips said the exodus comes back to the lack of new housing in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The Market Street property’s steep demise follows years of declining sales, crime concerns and an exodus of retailers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

It also carries the news of billionaire trader Chris Rokos's move to Greece, which it says comes "amid exodus of financiers fearful of tax rises".

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Solomon said his finance team first recommended a 25% tax increase, but that he worried such a dramatic rise would trigger an exodus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Don’t use either of them to excess. mass exodus.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Instead of using the loan proceeds to acquire Project Exodus as promised, 4 13 Solutions used the $2.5 million to pay Wilson Holdings, apparently for money that Wilson Holdings had previously invested.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

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

I also sang in the jazz band and was the lead singer in a Christian rock band called Exodus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026

Did America shift under my feet, or did it stand still while I stomped along my road toward whatever I’m chasing, following a column of smoke through my own Exodus?

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• departure
• evacuation
• flight
• migration
• withdrawal