Emigrant Definition & Meaning

Q: 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 .

Q: 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 .

Q: 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.

Frequently Asked Questions About emigrant

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 emigrant in a Sentence

Noun Millions of European emigrants came to America in the 19th century. a city teeming with emigrants from many lands

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Such a policy would require a thorough disclosure of each emigrant’s background and assets, which would be made public. — Alex Garcia, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2022 His father was the patriarch of a Manhattan office and apartment building empire founded in 1927 by Robert’s grandfather, Joseph Durst, an Austrian emigrant. — New York Times, 10 Jan. 2022 Keynigshteyn, a Soviet Union emigrant who did not understand English, found himself in an unfamiliar place with masked caregivers. — oregonlive, 29 Dec. 2021 Jesse Applegate, a white 19th-century emigrant to Oregon, worked to keep slavery from becoming established in Oregon. — oregonlive, 21 Dec. 2021 His father was a seasonal emigrant who worked in mines in Northern Europe and Argentina. — Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, 13 Oct. 2021 It’s told by 10 people affected by the disaster, such as a drug trafficker, an emigrant musician and an old woman selling produce in a market. — Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2021 Indya Moore, a foster kid who was bullied as a teen and has since walked runways and fronted fashion campaigns; and Dominique Jackson, an emigrant from Trinidad and Tobago who became a true ballroom icon. — Nojan Aminosharei, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 June 2021 Barzun himself was a French emigrant to the United States, along with his cultured, Parisian parents, in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic World War I, which affected them all deeply. — M. D. Aeschliman, National Review, 30 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union then, and the senders were emigrant relatives or pen pals from places such as Australia, Poland, or Russia. — CNN, 27 Jan. 2022 On September 11, 1857, 50 to 60 Latter-Day Saint militiamen aided by Native American allies killed 120 in an emigrant wagon train headed to California. — Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2021 In a remarkable commitment by a foreign government, Driscoll’s salary is being paid for the year by Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Department through its emigrant support program. — Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2021 One of the most unusual political leaders during the era after the Civil War was William Hines Furbush, a Black soldier, photographer, emigrant to Liberia, state legislator and the first sheriff of Lee County. — Tom Dillard, Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2020 Lebanon, a country of 5 million, takes massive pride in its emigrant community – including the many successful businessmen and celebrities of Lebanese heritage. — Zeina Karam, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emigrant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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