migrate

verb

migrated; migrating; migrates
1
intransitive : to move from one country, place, or locality to another
Thousands of workers migrate to this area in the summer.
In another Bavarian village, … 48 out of its total Jewish population of 225 migrated to America between 1834 and 1853, mostly to Cleveland.Jonathan D. Sarna
… the Carolinas benefited when manufacturing migrated first from … England to the mill towns of New England and then to here, where labor was even cheaper …Stephanie Clifford
2
intransitive : to pass usually periodically from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding
The whales migrate between their feeding ground in the north and their breeding ground in the Caribbean.
migrating birds making the long flight over Lake Erie from the United States to Canada drop to the nearest available ground after the crossing.Kathryn K. Rushing
3
transitive : to relocate (information) from storage or operation on one computer or computer system to another
In this release we've made further improvements and changes, such as support to migrate files from the legacy model to the new … storage model, and better management of cached files.Dave Burke
Work-from-home mandates will most likely be experienced again, so companies are adding work-from-home technology to their business continuity planning. This includes accelerating considerations and plans to migrate applications and file servers to the cloud …Steve Shoemake and Franzuha Byrd
4
intransitive : to change position or location in an organism or substance
filarial worms migrate within the human body
migratable adjective
migrator
ˈmī-ˌgrā-tər How to pronounce migrate (audio)
mī-ˈgrā-
noun
plural migrators
While … some birds that migrate at night take directional cues from polarized light at twilight, there has been little evidence that daytime migrators make direct use of the sun. Henry Fountain

Examples of migrate in a Sentence

He migrates from New York to Florida each winter. Thousands of workers migrate to this area each summer. The whales migrate between their feeding ground in the north and their breeding ground in the Caribbean. They followed the migrating herds of buffalo across the plains.
Recent Examples on the Web If destructive critters migrate from an organic farm to a conventional one, a grower may respond by using more pesticide. Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Of course, in addition to others who have migrated from the company to new AI startups. Steven Levy, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024 This group exhibition will be the first major exhibition of contemporary artists living in the Caribbean or who have migrated elsewhere. Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 La Niñas often follow intense El Niños because of a phenomenon known as discharge, when heat on the equator migrates toward the poles and cold deep-ocean waters rise to take its place. Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024 Concerns over a surge in sea crossings — one of the most perilous paths an individual can take to migrate abroad – have persisted in the Biden administration ever since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse nearly three years ago. Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Our original editorial insight was that technology had migrated from the far fringes of the culture to the absolute center as mobile technology created a new generation of digital consumers. Wes Davis, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024 Boxing, of course, was once a TV staple, with fights airing late at night on broadcast TV, before migrating to HBO, Showtime, and pay-per-view. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 The birds are migrating to the Arctic to breed and this loon, which previously showed up at the preserve, may have gotten blown off course, Buzard said. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'migrate.' 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 migratus, past participle of migrare; perhaps akin to Greek ameibein to change

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of migrate was circa 1623

Dictionary Entries Near migrate

Cite this Entry

“Migrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/migrate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

migrate

verb
mi·​grate ˈmī-ˌgrāt How to pronounce migrate (audio)
migrated; migrating
1
: to move from one country, place, or locality to another
2
: to pass from one region or climate to another usually on a regular schedule for feeding or breeding
3
: to change position or location in a living thing or substance
parasitic worms migrating from the lungs to the liver

Medical Definition

migrate

intransitive verb
mi·​grate ˈmī-ˌgrāt How to pronounce migrate (audio) mī-ˈ How to pronounce migrate (audio)
migrated; migrating
: to move from one place to another: as
a
: to move from one site to another in a host organism especially as part of a life cycle
filarial worms migrate within the human body
b
of an atom or group : to shift position within a molecule
migratory adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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