Did you know?
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
exile
- definition
What are red words?
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
more
/ˈeksaɪl/ 
| singular | exile |
| plural | exiles |
- 1[uncountable] a situation in which you are forced to live in a foreign country because you cannot live in your own country, usually for political reasons
poems written by Victor Hugo during his exile in the Channel Islands
in exile:The country’s former leader has been living in exile for two years.
force/send/drive someone into exile:After a decade of civil war, the losers are being forced into exile.
self-imposed exile:Wanted in Rome on corruption charges, he now lives in self-imposed exile in Tunisia.
This is the British English definition of exile. View American English definition of exile.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.
vocal fry
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleWord of the Day
glottal stop
a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...
Open Dictionary
conflict mineral
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
add a wordMore submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog