immigrant

noun

im·​mi·​grant ˈi-mə-grənt 

: one that immigrates: such as

a

: a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence

b

: a plant or animal that becomes established in an area where it was previously unknown

immigrant adjective

Did you know?

immigrant or emigrant?

Both of these words come from the Latin migrare (“to move from one place to another”), and both have definitions in English that hew closely to their etymological roots, but there is a definite difference between how you would use each one. Emigrant is used in reference to the country that has been left (“an emigrant from Canada”), while immigrant is used in reference the country that one is destined for (“an immigrant to Spain”).

Synonyms of immigrant

• migrant
• emigrant
• settler
• refugee

Examples of immigrant in a Sentence

Millions of immigrants came to America from Europe in the 19th century.

The city has a large immigrant population.

Recent Examples on the Web

Sales from the thrift store are donated directly to widows, immigrants and refugees in the Sacramento area and internationally. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026

The Adelanto facility has for years faced scrutiny about conditions and the treatment of immigrants inside. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2026

Those operations were also generally reserved for immigrants considered public-safety threats or those with serious criminal convictions, former officials said. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 17 July 2026

The movies were once a working- and middle-class pleasure—cheap Nickelodeon theaters sprung up in the early 1900s in cities dense with immigrants. — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing immigrant

• anti-immigrant

Rhymes for immigrant

• nonimmigrant

Kids Definition

immigrant

noun

im·​mi·​grant ˈim-i-grənt 

1

: a person who comes to a country to live there

2

: a plant or animal that becomes established in an area where it did not occur previously

immigrant adjective