I. ex ‧ ile 1 /ˈeksaɪl, ˈeɡzaɪl/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: exil , from Latin exilium , from exul 'person sent away' ]
1 . [singular, uncountable] a situation in which you are forced to leave your country and live in another country, especially for political reasons
in exile
a writer now living in exile
He went into exile to escape political imprisonment.
force/drive somebody into exile
The house was raided and the family was forced into exile.
He spent many years in enforced exile.
voluntary/self-imposed exile
She had been in voluntary exile since 1990.
2 . [countable] someone who has been forced to live in exile:
political exiles
⇨ ↑ tax exile
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ go into exile
Napoleon's wife and sons also went into exile.
▪ live in exile
The Guatemalan writer has lived in exile in Mexico for over 40 years.
▪ be sent into exile
The old leaders were removed from power and sent into exile.
▪ be forced/driven into exile
Many of his political opponents have been forced into exile.
▪ flee/escape into exile
Hundreds of people fled into exile or were jailed.
▪ die in exile
He never returned to his own country, but died in exile.
▪ return from exile
Martinez returned from exile to the islands in May 1990 and was later elected President.
■ adjectives
▪ long exile
The first of many refugees have finally returned home from a long exile in Senegal.
▪ permanent exile
The King threatened her with permanent exile.
▪ self-imposed/voluntary exile (=when someone goes into exile willingly, without being forced)
He spoke to the media from his self-imposed exile in the United States.
▪ enforced exile (=when someone is forced to go into exile)
After 12 years of enforced exile abroad, Almeyda returned home to Salvador.
▪ internal exile (=when someone is forced to move somewhere within a country)
The governor has the power to send people into internal exile in other regions.
II. exile 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive usually passive]
to force someone to leave their country, especially for political reasons
exile somebody to something
Several of the leaders were arrested and exiled to France.
exile somebody from something
a dictator who was exiled from his home country
the exiled former president