Dictionary

1exile

noun ex·ile \ˈeg-ˌzī(-ə)l, ˈek-ˌsī(-ə)l\

: a situation in which you are forced to leave your country or home and go to live in a foreign country

: a period of time during which someone has lived in exile

: a person who has been forced to live in a foreign country : a person who is in exile

Full Definition of EXILE

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
ex·il·ic \eg-ˈzi-lik\ adjective
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Origin of EXILE

Middle English exil, from Anglo-French essil, exil, from Latin exilium, from exul, exsul an exile
First Known Use: 14th century

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

2exile

verb

: to force (someone) to go to live in a distant place or foreign country : to force (someone) into exile

ex·iledex·il·ing

Full Definition of EXILE

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

First Known Use of EXILE

14th century

Synonym Discussion of 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 an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare <illegal aliens will be deported>. transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony <a convict who was transported to Australia>.

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism
EXILE Defined for Kids

1exile

noun ex·ile \ˈeg-ˌzīl, ˈek-ˌsīl\

Definition of EXILE for Kids

1
:  the situation of a person who is forced to leave his or her own country <He's living in exile.>
2
:  the period of time someone is forced to live away from his or her country <a 20 year exile>
3
:  a person who is forced to leave his or her own country

2exile

verb
ex·iledex·il·ing

Definition of EXILE for Kids

:  to force (someone) to leave his or her own country

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Next Word in the Dictionary: exilerPrevious Word in the Dictionary: exilarchateAll Words Near: exile
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