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 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 The Moorea Shark Sanctuary encompasses a significant portion of the waters around Moorea, including important habitats such as coral reefs, lagoons, and open ocean areas where sharks are known to inhabit and migrate. Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The difference between your story and that of other prospective parents is that a lot of these negative feelings do migrate and dissipate as the pregnancy advances. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 With the decline of protective coastal kelp and a now-healthy population of white sharks in the region’s waters, migrating otters stand a good chance of becoming great white snack food. David Helvarg, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 The agreement allows for up to 280 people a year to migrate from Tuvalu. Reuters, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 MacKenzie’s team showed that enzymes fed through a mother mouse’s uterine vein could migrate to the brain cells of her pups, clearing out the toxic sugars and preventing dangerous inflammation. Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024 Nine years later, the disease reached North America — presumably via Alaska, where birds from around the world migrate and feast during the summer. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 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 18 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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