ex·ile
ˈeg-ˌzī(-ə)l 
ˈek-ˌsī(-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
exiled; exiling
: to banish or expel from one's own country or home
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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Two weeks later, Ayatollah Khomeini returned from his decade and a half of exile.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 13 July 2025
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
The second Renko novel, Polar Star (1989), in which the investigator is exiled to a Soviet factory ship in the Arctic, is my favorite of the whole series.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for exile
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Avots plays Egil, a poet, farmer, murderer, sorcerer, ladies’ man, and a bit of a psychopath, who is seeking revenge on Erik Bloodaxe (Molyneux) for the exile of his family to Iceland by Erik’s father, King Harald Fairhair.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Two weeks later, Ayatollah Khomeini returned from his decade and a half of exile.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 13 July 2025
Verb
They are silenced, punished, exiled – for daring to write.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
The second Renko novel, Polar Star (1989), in which the investigator is exiled to a Soviet factory ship in the Arctic, is my favorite of the whole series.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for exile
Cite this Entry
“Exile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exile. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
exile
2 of 2 verb
exiled; exiling
: to force to leave one's own country or home
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share