exile

1 of 2

noun

ex·​ile ˈeg-ˌzī(-ə)l  ˈek-ˌsī(-ə)l 

1

a

: the state or a period of forced absence from one's country or home

b

: the state or a period of voluntary absence from one's country or home

2

: a person who is in exile

exilic

eg-ˈzi-lik 

adjective

exile

2 of 2

verb

exiled; exiling

transitive verb

: to banish or expel from one's own country or home

Synonyms of exile

Noun

• expulsion
• deportation

Verb

• banish
• relegate
• deport
• transport

Choose the Right Synonym for exile

banish, exile, deport, transport mean to remove by authority from a state or country.

banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

deport implies sending out of the country a noncitizen who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged adverse to the public welfare.

migrants may be deported

transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

Examples of exile in a Sentence

Noun

They hoped that his exile would be temporary.

Many chose to live as exiles rather than face persecution.

Verb

with their conquest of the Moors complete, Ferdinand and Isabella next exiled the Jews from Spain

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Iván Daniel Calás Navarro, founder of the Christian channel Voz de Verdad, had been interrogated and threatened with prison since 2023 and by March 2026 was forced into exile in Spain. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026

For nearly five years, dozens of Afghanistan’s women soccer players have lived in exile — scattered across Australia, the United States and Europe — unable to officially represent their country’s national team. —Max Feliu, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026

Verb

Andrew and Epstein cast a shadow Raising the stakes is the shadow of the king’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his royal title of Prince Andrew, exiled from public life and put under police investigation over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. —Jill Lawless, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026

Raising the stakes is the shadow of the king’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his royal title of Prince Andrew, exiled from public life and put under police investigation over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. —ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English exil, from Anglo-French essil, exil, from Latin exilium, from exul, exsul an exile

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing exile

• tax exile

Rhymes for exile

• argyle
• awhile
• beguile
• compile
• condyle
• defile
• erstwhile
• freestyle
• gentile
• hairstyle
• lifestyle
• meanwhile

Kids Definition

exile

1 of 2 noun

ex·​ile ˈeg-ˌzīl  ˈek-ˌsīl 

1

a

: an act or instance of being forced to leave one's country or home

also : voluntary absence from one's country or home

b

: the state of one so absent

2

: a person who is in exile

exile

2 of 2 verb

exiled; exiling

: to force to leave one's own country or home