immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈi-mə-ˌgrāt 

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

My grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Italy.

transitive verb

: to bring in or send as immigrants

helped immigrate them

Examples of immigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Chan was born in Hong Kong and immigrated from Taiwan with her mother and brother before moving to Chinatown, a neighborhood that became central to her upbringing. —Lauren Toms, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026

Tsukerman directed films in the Soviet Union and Israel before immigrating to New York in 1976. —Pat Saperstein, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026

There was a time when people would immigrate to this country and work hard to learn English and assimilate into society. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2026

In time, Chagossians found ways to immigrate to Britain. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for immigrate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈim-ə-ˌgrāt 

immigrated; immigrating

: to come into a foreign country to live

immigration

ˌim-ə-ˈgrā-shən 

noun