emigrate

verb

em·​i·​grate ˈe-mə-ˌgrāt 

emigrated; emigrating

intransitive verb

: to leave one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere

emigrated from Canada to the United States

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an emigrant and an immigrant?

Immigrant and emigrant both refer to a person leaving their own country for another. However, immigrant (and its verb form _immigrate) typically stress the country going to, while emigrant (and its verb emigrate) stress the country coming from. One is an immigrant to a new country, and an emigrant from an old one. See here for more on the difference between emigrant and immigrant.

Is emigrant a noun or a verb?

Emigrant is a noun, meaning "one who leaves one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere." It is synonymous with émigré, a word that is especially used of a person who has left for political reasons. The verb form of the word is emigrate.

Does emigrant imply illegality?

Both emigrant and immigrant refer to a person who has moved from one country to another, usually in permanent or semi-permanent fashion. Neither word by itself has any connotations of illegality.

Examples of emigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Buy Now: $90 Bergström 2022 Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Willamette Valley Oregon John Bergström left Sweden and emigrated to Portland, Oregon to pursue a medical education and met his wife Karen there. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2024

My father, Willy Reich, was from Zurich and emigrated to the States in 1956. —Jimmy Camp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024

Advertisement Fara said the incident shocked many community members who emigrated to San Francisco because of its pluralistic society. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

His paternal grandparents were Russian Jews who emigrated to America. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

The family lived in France, having emigrating there from Lithuania. —Bloomberg, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024

The failure of the British government to adequately help the starving population forced over 1 million more to emigrate. —Eoin McSweeney, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024

The family wound up emigrating to the United States in 1949, when Thorn was still a toddler. —Frederic J. Frommer, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024

The family emigrated from Germany and settled in the Oxnard area in the late 1800s, farming sugar beets and lima beans before moving into citrus, then row crops. —Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin emigratus, past participle of emigrare, from e- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

emigrate

verb

em·​i·​grate ˈem-ə-ˌgrāt 

emigrated; emigrating

: to leave a country or region to live elsewhere

emigration

ˌem-ə-ˈgrā-shən 

noun