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

Rosales emigrated with her mother, aunt and uncle to Machala, a city in the southwest part of the country and the capital of El Oro province, which earned its name for large gold deposits and today is one of the world’s largest banana exporters. —Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2025

The Steelers are owned by the Rooney family, who emigrated from Newry during the Great Famine of the 1840s. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025

Gary Shteyngart was just seven years old when his family emigrated from the Soviet Union and settled in Queens. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025

The purges drove an exodus of research talent, with figures like Einstein, Bethe, and Krebs emigrating to the UK and, mostly, the US. —Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 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