immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈi-mə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce immigrate (audio)
immigrated; immigrating

intransitive verb

: to enter and usually become established
especially : to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence

transitive verb

: to bring in or send as immigrants

Examples of immigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Gora, who immigrated from Ukraine, helps organize New Mark Commons’ annual international dinner in March, in which residents bring dishes from their home countries or ones that celebrate their background. Barbara Ruben, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 She was raised an only child in Dorchester, Massachusetts, by a mother and father who immigrated from Barbados and Nigeria, respectively. Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 At the peak of the 1850s, 15% of those in Detroit had immigrated from Ireland and nearly 45% settled in the Corktown neighborhood. Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 Her mother, who immigrated to the United States from Lebanon, poked her head out of her bedroom and asked about dinner. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Both groups immigrated to the U.S. and faced discrimination. Aneliza Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Just look at the Daou brothers, who immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon and France in the early 1980’s with very little money in their pockets. Liz Thach, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Grosse was a social worker at a maximum-security prison in Germany before immigrating to the United States. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024 Nikki Haley's parents, Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, immigrated to the United States from India Nikki Haley has made her parents, Ajit Singh and Raj Kaur Randhawa, a central part of her campaign messaging in her run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'immigrate.' 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 immigratus, past participle of immigrare to remove, go in, from in- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of immigrate was circa 1623

Dictionary Entries Near immigrate

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

immigrate

verb
im·​mi·​grate ˈim-ə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce immigrate (audio)
immigrated; immigrating
: to come into a foreign country to live
immigration noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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