migration

noun

mi·​gra·​tion mī-ˈgrā-shən How to pronounce migration (audio)
: the act, process, or an instance of migrating
watched the migration of the birds overhead
migrational adjective

Examples of migration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As in previous migration waves, the U.S. government responded by forcefully returning most migrants back to Haiti. Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The survival of the sponsorship program is a major legal victory for the Biden administration, which has sought to combine legal migration pathways and tighter asylum rules to contain unprecedented levels of migrant crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border, with varying degrees of success. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 The president showcased his accomplishments on infrastructure and manufacturing, and pushed Congress to approve more aid to Ukraine, tougher migration rules and lower drug prices. Zeke Miller, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 But with these migrations came a loss of culture, as many popular traditions were left behind From 2020 to 2022, the island’s population shrank by 2%, with residents leaving all 78 counties, according to a U.S. Census release. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Inflation, the explosion of migration at the border and the wars in Europe and the Middle East have created a sense of instability that polls show have eroded his support. Peter Baker, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 All four candidates sounded alarms about the state of the border and urged aggressive crackdowns on migration. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 Haiti spinning out of control:on every metric from gangs to kidnappings, migration to murder On Monday, heavily armed gangs then tried to seize control of Haiti’s main international airport. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 Gillet estimates the migration is near its midpoint, so Hoosiers can expect to see — or more likely hear — cranes for a few more weeks. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'migration.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French or Latin; French, from Latin migration-, migratio, from migratus (past participle of migrare to migrate) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at migrate

First Known Use

circa 1527, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of migration was circa 1527

Dictionary Entries Near migration

Cite this Entry

“Migration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/migration. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

migration

noun
mi·​gra·​tion
mī-ˈgrā-shən
1
: the act or an instance of migrating
2
: a group of individuals that are migrating

Medical Definition

migration

noun
mi·​gra·​tion mī-ˈgrā-shən How to pronounce migration (audio)
: the act, process, or an instance of migrating
migration of larval nematodes to the lungs
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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