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exoduster

(US, historical, also, attributive) An African-American who migrated from a state along the Mississippi River in the Southern United States to Kansas, mostly between 1879 and 1881 during the Reconstru

ˈɛksəʊdʌstəDocumented since 1890sSilenthistorical117 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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Born ~1899 · no dated citations yet
1899BornToday, 2026

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#1·Apr 27, 2026

(US, historical, also, attributive) An African-American who migrated from a state along the Mississippi River in the Southern United States to Kansas, mostly between 1879 and 1881 during the Reconstruction era.

Ingalls wants congress to appropriate money for the colored exodusters. It strikes us that for a man who is holding on by a strip of his eye-brow, Ingalls is a little too unanimous.
Origin: From Exodus, (see the 1899 quotation), alluding to the story of the exodus of Israelites from Egypt which is related in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"exoduster" means: An African-American who migrated from a state along the Mississippi River in the Southern United States to Kansas, mostly between 1879 and 1.... This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"exoduster" means: An African-American who migrated from a state along the Mississippi River in the Southern United States to Kansas, mostly between 1879 and 1.... Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable

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For specific readers

"exoduster" means: An African-American who migrated from a state along the Mississippi River in the Southern United States to Kansas, mostly between 1879 and 1.... This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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