exodus

noun

ex·o·dus ˈek-sə-dəs

ˈeg-zə-

Synonyms of exodus next

capitalized : the mainly narrative second book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture see Bible Table

: a mass departure : emigration

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Don't Leave Without the History of Exodos

The Biblical book of Exodus describes the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, so it's no surprise that the word exodus, uncapitalized, has come to refer more generally to any mass departure. Exodus was adopted into English (via Latin) from the Greek word Exodos, which literally means “the road out.” Exodos was formed by combining the prefix ex-, meaning “out of,” and hodos, meaning “road” or “way.” Indeed, many roads led out of hodos into English; other hodos descendants include episode, method, odometer, and period. While exodus is occasionally encountered in reference to an individual’s leaving (e.g., “his/her/their exodus”), such usage is likely to raise the eyebrows of editors who feel it should only refer to the departure en masse of a large group of people, as when novelist Nnedi Okorafor writes in her science fiction novel Lagoon (2015): “Everyone was trying to get somewhere, be it a church, a bar, home or out of Lagos. Then there was the exodus of people … to the parts of the city that had the least chance of flooding if the water rose too high.”

Examples of exodus in a Sentence

the mass exodus from the cities for the beaches and the mountains on most summer weekends

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The exodus of immigrant workers threatens economic stability, with recent analysis reporting that Florida's key industries employing undocumented workers could face annual losses of $12.6 billion. —

Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025 The exodus from Cuba Border arrests of Cubans increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and after anti-government protests in 2021. —

Elliot Spagat, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025 What makes this exodus particularly striking is its apparent contradiction — Americans are responding to a ban meant to protect them from potential Chinese data collection by voluntarily joining another Chinese platform. —

Esat Dedezade, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025 Meta’s recent policy changes, seen as a shift to the right, has sparked boycotts and a user exodus from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. —

Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for exodus