First Known Use: 14th century
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
See exile defined for English-language learners
See exile defined for kids
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Origin of EXILE
Middle English exil, from Anglo-French essil, exil, from Latin exilium, from exul, exsul an exile
Related to EXILE
- Synonyms
- banishment, deportation, displacement, expatriation, expulsion, relegation
Other Government and Politics Terms
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
See exile defined for English-language learners
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
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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