Word
exile
Phoneticsex·ile, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɛɡˌzaɪɫ/
UK/ˈɛɡzaɪl/
Definitions
01state of banishment
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the situation where you are forced to leave your country and live somewhere else, often for a long time.
n. the state of being barred from one's native country, typically for political or punitive reasons. Uncountable in this abstract sense.
日本語:亡命※
“The former president lived in exile for twenty years before it was safe to return home.”
“After the failed coup, the intellectual elite spent decades in exile, maintaining their cultural identity through underground publications.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02a banished person
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal
n. a person who has been forced to leave their country.
n. an individual who lives in banishment from their native country.
“The city became a gathering place for political exiles from all over the region.”
“The community of exiles worked tirelessly to lobby foreign governments for a change in their homeland's regime.”
Synonyms
03to banish someone
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to force someone to leave their country as a punishment.
v. to expel and bar someone from their native country, typically as a formal punishment.
日本語:追放する※
“The king decided to exile the rebel leaders to a distant island.”
“The government sought to exile the dissenting journalists, hoping to silence their criticism by removing them from the local population.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “exile” in context.
Verb
01. end his exile
“The new government passed a law allowing the dissident to end his exile and return home.”
verb + possessive + noun
02. go into exile
“The deposed president was forced to go into exile after the military coup.”
verb + prep + noun
03. live in exile
“The poet spent the last twenty years of his life living in exile in Paris.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
04. forced exile
“The community struggled to maintain its traditions during decades of forced exile.”
adj + noun
05. self-imposed exile
“After the scandal, the actress lived in self-imposed exile, refusing all media interviews.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. exile government
“The exile government continued to lobby for international support from their base in London.”
noun + noun
07. years of exile
“His writing was profoundly shaped by his long years of exile in a foreign land.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
08. in exile
“Many intellectuals were living in exile while the dictatorship was in power.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“Exiles who spoke to The Associated Press say they are scattered across Central America and Mexico with little more than backpacks and a lingering question of where they will end up.” “Last year French officials disrupted a plot that they believe was aimed at killing Vladimir Osechkin, a Russian exile who lives under police protection and works to help military defectors flee Putin’s war.” “One of Cuba's most prominent dissidents has gone into exile in the US, after leaving Cuba where he had served a five-year prison sentence.” “Then, in May 2025, Peche himself was forced into exile after being tipped off that security forces were preparing to arrest him.” In Music
Exile · 2020 · Indie folk
- Artist:
- Taylor Swift
- Album:
- Folklore
Taylor Swift’s 2020 indie folk track features Bon Iver and explores the emotional pain of a failed relationship. The title uses the word figuratively to describe the feeling of being shut out by a former lover, comparing a breakup to being forced away from one's home.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/exile
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0