French word

exiler

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛgzile/

Meaning

  • verbbanish

Example

Le gouvernement a exilé l'opposant politique.

The government banished the political opponent.

Illustration for exiler (banish)

More examples

Après le coup d'État, de nombreux artistes se sont exilés.

After the coup, many artists went into exile.

Core concept

A person cut off from home and made to live beyond the country's borders.

Common phrases

  • exiler quelqu'un

    exile someone

  • s'exiler

    go into exile

Similar words

expulser: Ordering someone to leave a place or country by force.
bannir: Excluding someone from a society or group and cutting off contact.
exclure: Preventing someone from becoming part of a group or organization.
renvoyer: Requiring someone to leave a workplace or organization, especially through dismissal.

Definition in French

Envoyer ou condamner une personne à vivre en dehors de son pays ou de sa communauté, souvent pour l'isoler.

Word origin

Exiler comes through Old French from Latin exilium, meaning exile; the ex- element means out and suits removal from a homeland.

Usage tips

  • As a transitive verb, exiler takes the person directly in exiler quelqu'un, without the preposition à.

Other meanings

  • exileverb
  • deportverb

Opposites

Related words

  • exilexilenoun
  • exiléexiled personnoun

Word lists with this word