emigrate

verb

em·​i·​grate ˈe-mə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce emigrate (audio)
emigrated; emigrating

intransitive verb

: to leave one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere
emigrated from Canada to the United States

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an emigrant and an immigrant?

Immigrant and emigrant both refer to a person leaving their own country for another. However, immigrant (and its verb form _immigrate) typically stress the country going to, while emigrant (and its verb emigrate) stress the country coming from. One is an immigrant to a new country, and an emigrant from an old one. See here for more on the difference between emigrant and immigrant.

Is emigrant a noun or a verb?

Emigrant is a noun, meaning "one who leaves one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere." It is synonymous with émigré, a word that is especially used of a person who has left for political reasons. The verb form of the word is emigrate.

Does emigrant imply illegality?

Both emigrant and immigrant refer to a person who has moved from one country to another, usually in permanent or semi-permanent fashion. Neither word by itself has any connotations of illegality.

Examples of emigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Many Jews emigrated from Morocco to Israel to play a part in building the Jewish state. Theo Zenou, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 In 1948, the entire family emigrated to the United States, settling in New Jersey. Randy Kennedy, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Sunny’s mother and father had emigrated from Daegu, South Korea a decade earlier as doctoral candidates at the University of Tennessee in math and polymer engineering, respectively. Sean Gregory, TIME, 5 Mar. 2024 Meteoric Rise And Omission Janet Sobel (b. 1893; Dnipro, Ukraine) emigrated with her mother and two siblings to New York in 1908 after her father was killed in one of Ukraine’s many pogroms. Chadd Scott, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Like so many in South Florida, Suarez’s father emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s as a young boy. Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 Born in Mauritania, he was raised in his father’s homeland, Mali, before emigrating to the Soviet Union to study at Moscow’s venerable VGIK film school and later settling in France. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024 Before emigrating from the Philippines, Tamayo worked as a ship captain the Merchant Marines. Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 2 Feb. 2024 Actually, those Americans were using the style of eating prevalent in Europe when their forebears emigrated to the United States, and just didn’t change when Europeans dumbed down the rules. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'emigrate.' 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

Latin emigratus, past participle of emigrare, from e- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emigrate was in 1766

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near emigrate

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

emigrate

verb
em·​i·​grate ˈem-ə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce emigrate (audio)
emigrated; emigrating
: to leave a country or region to live elsewhere
emigration noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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