1
as in expulsion
the forced removal from a homeland
the exile of French settlers from Nova Scotia resulted in the birth of the Cajun community in the U.S.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in refugee
a person forced to emigrate for political reasons
after being overthrown in a coup, the dictator spent the remainder of his life as an exile in a string of less-than-welcoming countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to banish
to force to leave a country
with their conquest of the Moors complete, Ferdinand and Isabella next exiled the Jews from Spain
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exile
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
The paranoia of the exile and the foreigner is also very concerned in language.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Directors, actors, writers and musicians have been jailed, exiled or silenced simply for telling their stories or advocating for freedom.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exile
Noun
For Anna and Tom, that dynamic leads to exile.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
The paranoia of the exile and the foreigner is also very concerned in language.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
He was detained by British authorities, imprisoned at the Atlit camp and exiled to Cyprus for nearly two years.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Directors, actors, writers and musicians have been jailed, exiled or silenced simply for telling their stories or advocating for freedom.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exile
Noun
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Johnson said before the demonstrations that students who participate in the protests will be marked absent from class, but would not be disciplined, such as with suspensions or expulsions.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
30 Jan. 2026
-
On the first offense, a violator would be subject to immediate expulsion from the legislative chamber for the remainder of the day, a fine of not less than $500 but not exceeding $1,000, and referral to the chamber’s ethics committee.—
Barbara Hoberock,
Oklahoma Voice,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In Oklahoma, Pastor Hau Suan Khai started hearing about cancellations from Christian refugees who, like him, had come to the US fleeing persecution in Myanmar.—
Catherine E. Shoichet,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Simpson, 45, is a New Orleans native who fled to Oklahoma as a Hurricane Katrina refugee in 2005.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Who got banished on 'The Traitors'?—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Imagine banishing stuffed animals from the living room, corralling all the toy cars outside the main bedroom, and finally finding a place for that play kitchen that isn’t your actual kitchen.—
Amelia Mularz,
Architectural Digest,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The effort appears to be the first use of a law enacted three years ago allowing the revocation of citizenship and subsequent deportation of Palestinian citizens who were convicted of certain violent crimes such as terrorism and received financial support from the Palestinian Authority as a reward.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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Morales Tejada remains detained pending deportation to El Salvador, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Our family photographs depicted us in beauty, power and wholeness, rejecting every image that attempted to relegate us to a stereotype.—
Anya Sesay,
jsonline.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Researchers have long assumed the bugs were mostly relegated to South Florida due to their need for particularly warm climates.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Right-wing backlash to the announcement of a Spanish-language halftime performance was swift and included calls to deport Bad Bunny, who is an American citizen.—
Vanessa Diaz,
Rolling Stone,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Some have had parents deported.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For Valentine’s Day 2026, Avianca transported more than 19,000 tons of flowers from Colombia and Ecuador, a 6% uptick from last year.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
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Two victims were airlifted to a hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries, police said, and a third victim died while being transported to the hospital.—
Alexandra Koch , Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exile. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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