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 Eventually, such panels will migrate from light fixtures to smart fabric on the ceiling, resulting in more diffuse illumination that allows for near-infinite options across the color spectrum. Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 26 Oct. 2024 The birds usually migrate in mid-October and will be found in areas with water sources. Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 23 Oct. 2024 His fashion-forward outdoor apparel retail concept A Young Hiker, which originally set up shop at the Palais-Royal to bring together brands from Japan, Korea, the U.S. and Paris all under one roof, has also migrated to the WSCS space with its wares. Rhonda Richford, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024 Since migrating from India to Canada and supporting multi-million-dollar digital transformation initiatives, the pair has recognized that many firms prioritize profit over true customer satisfaction. Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for migrate 

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 31 Oct. 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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