exile
noun
expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.
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Which poet wrote his most famous work while in exile?
exile
American
[eg-zahyl, ek-sahyl]
/ ˈɛg zaɪl, ˈɛk saɪl /
noun
-
exiles
plural
-
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.
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anyone separated from their country or home voluntarily or by force of circumstances.
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the Exile, the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, 597–538 b.c.
verb (used with object)
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exiles,
present (3rd person singular)
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exiled,
past participle, past
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exiling
present participle
exile
1
British
/ ˈɛksaɪl, ˈɛɡzaɪl /
noun
-
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
verb
Exile
2
British
/ ˈɛɡzaɪl, ˈɛksaɪl /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exilesimple
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exilessimple
-
have exiledperfect
-
has exiledperfect
-
am exilingprogressive
-
are exilingprogressive
-
is exilingprogressive
-
have been exilingperfect progressive
-
has been exilingperfect progressive
Past
-
exiledsimple
-
had exiledperfect
-
was exilingprogressive
-
were exilingprogressive
-
had been exilingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing exile
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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Persepolis
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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.
See Examples For:
He wound up fleeing to Spain, then in the grip of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, and spent the rest of his life in Iberian exile.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
From exile, Kabila's criticism of Tshisekedi grew louder.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
She then spent 11 months in exile and made seven failed attempts to return to Venezuela before suddenly reappearing last weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate made her comments after returning to Venezuela from 10 months in exile.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Her mother had once told her a story about how Arjuna was so honorable that he agreed to a twelve-year exile in the forest just to keep his word.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Exile, in Joyce’s case, was determined and purposeful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
His mood was sullen, according to Meridith McGraw, author of Trump in Exile, an account of the former president’s time after leaving the White House.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2024
If Jimmie Rodgers, the original Singing Brakeman of the 1920s, is considered the father of country music, then slick, pop-oriented hitmakers like the Oak Ridge Boys and Exile would be country’s third cousins--twice removed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2024
Then four years later, the Rolling Stones installed themselves on the Riviera for the challenging basement recording of "Exile on Main St."
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2023
Even a remote village of the Guthen Coast has radio, and they could not have pleaded ignorance of the Order of Exile; only real ignorance of their guest’s identity might give them some excuse.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Rodríguez also spoke of "the doors being open" in Venezuela to returning exiles and talked of dialogue and building consensus.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
In the 1930s and 1940s, postrevolutionary Mexico emerged as both an incubator of modern art and haven for European refugees, political exiles and other expats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
In Miami or Madrid, they became industrious exiles, sending remittances back to their families in Cuba.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
For a woman who Hollywood exiles into the Nevada desert, only for her to build an empire and return to Los Angeles to conquer the industry, besting cancer should be a cinch.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
But the truth is that we are both exiles and will never go home again.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
The plot is so similar to McDonagh’s 2008 feature film debut, the masterpiece “In Bruges,” which starred Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell as exiled hit men, that the filmmaker should sue himself for plagiarism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
The CIA had been aware of the al-Qaeda network and its exiled Saudi leader, Osama Bin Laden, for years prior to 2001.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
María Corina Machado, the exiled leader of the Venezuelan opposition and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, on Thursday raised her own worries about what the oil deal means for the future of Venezuela.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
"With climate change intensifying, there is no indication that such hazards will stop," said Dhondup Wangmo, a research fellow at the Tibet Policy Institute, a thinktank linked to the exiled Tibetan government in India.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
At first, he’d said, the Svalbard bears regarded Lord Asriel as being no different from any of the other politicians, kings, or troublemakers who had been exiled to their bleak island.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
In 1952 his re-entry permit to the U.S. was revoked, effectively exiling him for nearly 20 years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025
He said that invading forces had ransacked his offices, exiling his team to another location where they are attempting to continue running their city.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2022
The exiling of “Jingle Bells” was first reported by writer Peter Lovenheim in the Rochester Beacon, an online publication.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 23, 2021
She also heeds Logan's orders, exiling Kendall, her own child, from her party to accommodate her ex-husband, who won't be seen with him.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2021
Now Alex was exiling Bri, the sweetest of them all.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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