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 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 emigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Isaac emigrated separately and worked (once the couple reunited) for Sima’s brother in the wholesale coffee business. — Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026

At the time, Kundassery was a high-school debater in Fremont, California, where his parents had moved after emigrating from India on H1-B visas. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

My mother was born to parents who emigrated in the 1950s during Batista’s regime. — Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

In 1944, a few weeks after the liberation of France, Georges Zurabishvili, who had emigrated to France from Georgia in the 1920s, was bundled into a car by three men with machine guns. — Tobias Grey, Air Mail, 10 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emigrate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

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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