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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.

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
exodus 2 British  
/ ˈɛksədəs /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of going out

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.”

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the predicted total exodus never fully materialized.

From The Wall Street Journal

The exodus poses elemental questions for a country that has always prided itself as a destination.

From The Wall Street Journal

Company leadership framed the move as a logistical decision rather than a full-on California exodus.

From Los Angeles Times

The problems are compounded by an exodus towards cities by young people, leaving remote settlements such as Kapisillit disproportionately populated by older people.

From Barron's

However, a mass exodus of a number of the state’s billionaires — more than 200 people — would have a notable effect on state revenue, regardless.

From Los Angeles Times

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.