emigrant

1 of 2

noun

em·​i·​grant ˈe-mi-grənt How to pronounce emigrant (audio)
1
: one who emigrates
2
: a migrant plant or animal

emigrant

2 of 2

adjective

: departing or having departed from a country to settle elsewhere

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 stresses the country someone is going to, while emigrant (and its verb emigrate) stresses the country someone is 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 with emigrants from many lands
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Prospective emigrants must navigate extensive background checks, provide proof of wealth origin, and demonstrate significant liquid assets beyond their investment commitments. David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024 By September 2, the troops were camped along the North Platte near a place called Ash Hollow, a popular stopping point for westward-traveling emigrants on the Oregon Trail. Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
That could change after Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, an epic drama (complete with 15-minute intermission) in which an emigrant Hungarian architect, László Toth (Adrien Brody), seeks political asylum, and a creative outlet, in post-war America. Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024 McDonald-Gibson points out the irony of central and eastern Europeans vilifying asylum seekers even as their own countries’ emigrant citizens are denigrated across western Europe, where millions of Czechs, Poles, Slovaks, and others have gone to work in the past decade. Elizabeth Collett, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017 See all Example Sentences for emigrant 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1732, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1747, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emigrant was in 1732

Dictionary Entries Near emigrant

Cite this Entry

“Emigrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emigrant. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

emigrant

noun
em·​i·​grant
ˈem-i-grənt
1
: one that emigrates
2
: a migrant plant or animal
emigrant adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on emigrant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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