exile
Americannoun
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expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.
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the fact or state of expulsion from one's native land by authoritative decree.
She had to live in exile.
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a person banished from their native land.
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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.
noun
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a prolonged, usually enforced absence from one's home or country; banishment
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the expulsion of a person from his native land by official decree
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a person banished or living away from his home or country; expatriate
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- exilable adjective
- exiler noun
- exilic adjective
- quasi-exiled adjective
- unexiled adjective
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
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.
Opposition movements in exile have long been divided.
From Barron's
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, it has served as a capital for exiles.
From Los Angeles Times
Khomeini would become his mentor, a figure to whom he remained ever loyal, running secret missions for him while Khomeini lived in exile.
From Los Angeles Times
There is no credible alternative government in exile waiting in the wings.
From BBC
What has surprised some analysts is the degree to which students have rallied behind Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late and final shah.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
