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

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Kon emigrated to Israel in 1998. —Uriel Kon september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025

The first-gen Mexican Americans — whose parents emigrated from Jalisco, Mexico and worked in the fields as farm workers — were performing four events a month, charging around $100-200 an hour. —Griselda Flores, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2025

But in the ensuing years, many young Jews emigrated — particularly during the 24-year Ceaușescu dictatorship, which allowed 1,500 Jews to leave every year from 1965 to 1989 in exchange for cash payments of between $2,000 and $25,000 each, plus Israeli military assistance to Romania. —Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025

Danny is part of a generation that emigrated en masse, pushed out by a political, social, and economic crisis that forced him to leave behind his country, his friends, his childhood, everything. —Martín Toro, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025

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
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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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