migrant

noun

mi·​grant ˈmī-grənt 

plural migrants

: someone or something that migrates: such as

a

: a person who moves regularly in order to find work especially in harvesting crops

farms employing migrants during the growing season

b

: immigrant sense a

especially : refugee

… administration officials announced they would work to swiftly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border … and penalize people who cross illegally into the U.S. or illegally through another country on their way to the U.S. border.

—Colleen Long

c

: an animal (such as a gray whale, monarch butterfly, leatherback sea turtle, or Canada goose) that moves usually long distances from one habitat or geographic region to another

migrant adjective

migrant labor

migrant birds

Synonyms of migrant

• immigrant
• refugee
• settler
• emigrant

Examples of migrant in a Sentence

migrants in search of work on farms

Not all birds are migrants.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the height of the border crisis, Hartman said agents sometimes encountered groups of up to 70 migrants moving through the underground maze. — Brooke Taylor, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

That morning, there had been a terrible accident in southern Mexico involving migrants being smuggled north, one that required the urgent attention of Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States. — Ken Salazar, Time, 20 July 2026

Dinu’s reflections are intercut with stories from their past, memories of Varsha’s therapeutic work, and stories of the migrants and post-partition refugees who lived and worked at Tavoy. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Last year, migrants were repeatedly arrested at the building while trying to attend their immigration court hearings. — Brynn Gingras, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin migrant-, migrans, present participle of migrare

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing migrant

• in-migrant
• out-migrant

Kids Definition

migrant

noun

mi·​grant ˈmī-grənt 

: a person, animal, or plant that migrates

migrant adjective