exodus

noun

ex·​o·​dus ˈek-sə-dəs  ˈeg-zə- 

1

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

2

: 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.”

Synonyms

• gush
• outflow
• outpour
• outpouring

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

Now, some residents and local leaders are worried about the economic consequences of an exodus of federal workers and their salaries. —Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 26 May 2025

The sell-off in Treasurys comes on the back of the exodus in American assets in April, and is largely owed to investors’ declining confidence in U.S. assets, said market watchers. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 22 May 2025

The University of Maryland hired Jim Smith as its next athletic director, the school announced Thursday morning, capping off a monthslong search that followed the unprecedented exodus of former AD Damon Evans and men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard. —Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 15 May 2025

The Communist Party’s postwar policies — reeducation camps, political purges, forced collectivization — not only deepened Vietnam’s internal wounds but also led to a mass exodus that remade Vietnamese communities around the globe. —Leo Tran, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Exodos, literally, road out, from ex- + hodos road

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

exodus

noun

ex·​o·​dus ˈek-səd-əs 

1

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

2

: a mass departure

Etymology

from Latin Exodus "a book of the Bible," derived from Greek exodos "a road or journey out," from ex- "out" and hodos "road"