emigration

noun

em·​i·​gra·​tion ˌe-mə-ˈgrā-shən How to pronounce emigration (audio)
plural emigrations
: an act or instance of emigrating : departure from a place of abode, natural home, or country for life or residence elsewhere
Further Chinese emigration to Taiwan was to be carefully limited.Jonathan D. Spence

Examples of emigration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Over the following three decades, immigration restrictions in the United States became more expansive, while in Europe several states, including Ottoman-Turkey, Romania, and Russia, expelled or violently propelled the emigration of ‘unwanted’ populations. TIME, 18 Mar. 2024 Although Russia has a larger overall population, its military-recruitment challenges are compounded by labor shortages and the emigration of hundreds of thousands of men since 2022. Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024 There was an artistic movement toward what people would call inner emigration. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2024 His governing coalition is beholden to far-right parties that want to step up the offensive, encourage the emigration of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and reestablish Jewish settlements there. Melanie Lidman, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2024 Shaggy came of age perfectly in sync with the rising tides of the south, realizing, even as many friends pondered emigration due to the island's economic downturn, that the world had started flowing toward him. Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024 Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union rose in the period when Kissinger was firmly in charge of détente. Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 This crisis has had ripple effects on Iraqi Kurdish society and is one of the contributing factors to mass emigration and the 2021-22 migrant crisis on Belarus’s border. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 This issue came to the fore over Soviet restrictions on Jewish emigration and the treatment of Soviet political dissidents, such as the author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emigration was in 1614

Dictionary Entries Near emigration

Cite this Entry

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

Medical Definition

emigration

noun
em·​i·​gra·​tion ˌem-ə-ˈgrā-shən How to pronounce emigration (audio)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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