expatriate

1 of 3

verb

ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt How to pronounce expatriate (audio)
expatriated; expatriating

transitive verb

1
2
: to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one's native country

intransitive verb

: to leave one's native country to live elsewhere
also : to renounce allegiance to one's native country

expatriate

2 of 3

adjective

ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ət How to pronounce expatriate (audio) -trē-ˌāt How to pronounce expatriate (audio)
: living in a foreign land

expatriate

3 of 3

noun

ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ət How to pronounce expatriate (audio) -trē-ˌāt How to pronounce expatriate (audio)
: a person who lives in a foreign country
Hemingway himself in The Sun Also Rises, 1926, had given the picture of the dislocated life of young English and American expatriates in the bars of Paris, the "lost generation," as Gertrude Stein defined them.Robert Penn Warren

Example Sentences

Verb members of the deposed dictator's once-feared political party were expatriated as well
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Leishmaniasis is rare in northern Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and had not been described as an endemic infection in the locals, expatriate guest workers or any of the Allied troops stationed in the region during World War II. Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 4 Nov. 2011 Dubai boasts a variety of bars, nightclubs and lounges that attract many visitors and well-to-do expatriate residents. Mariam Fam, ajc, 20 Nov. 2022 Her network of Black travelers boasts 20,000 members who've visited regions all over the world – 19% of the community have also chosen to expatriate. Keturah Kendrick, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2022 The city is now a tourist and expatriate destination. Peter Canby, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2022 Maybe some of them will try to move, expatriate, or do an inversion. Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 18 May 2021 The building still housed a small but interesting collection of maps, rare books, and historical newspapers from Tangier, as well as a collection of art by some of the city’s famous Moroccan and expatriate artist residents. Graham Cornwell, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2021 Gifts must be made long enough in advance that there is no appearance of a plan to gift and then expatriate, but a recent law might have made this more appealing. Jo Craven Mcginty, WSJ, 16 Oct. 2020 Qatar is renewing efforts to make real estate more attractive to expatriate residents, foreign investors and real estate funds. Simone Foxman, Bloomberg.com, 6 Oct. 2020
Adjective
The following day, a U.S. criminal complaint alleged that Chinese police had used thousands of fake accounts both for propaganda and to harass and threaten expatriate critics of the government who live in the United States. Joseph Menn, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Apr. 2023 Rafael Ascenso, founder and CEO of Porta da Frente, a Lisbon-area Christie’s affiliate, says that Americans now make up a larger portion of his agency’s clientele than any nationality other than native Portuguese and expatriate Brazilians, who have long made up the majority of buyers in the area. J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2022 She was educated at a convent, and then sent to live with a cluster of aunts living in Bangkok’s expatriate Indian community. Jillian Dunham, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 Portraits of expatriate women, of different ages, from various parts of the world (Israel, Poland, Czech Republic, USA, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Philippines, United Kingdom) are captured and photographed in impersonal urban spaces to emphasize the fluidity of the connection with the place. Condé Nast, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2023 More than 80% of the population is expatriate. Rory Jones, WSJ, 19 Jan. 2023 Both in Guatemala, a country wracked with violence, corruption and economic inequalities, as well as in expatriate communities in the U.S., the upcoming elections are stirring a host of anxieties. Soudi Jiménez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2023 Periodic tightening of social distancing rules that closed schools for prolonged periods has also pushed many expatriate workers to exit from the city, either temporarily or for good. Elaine Yu, WSJ, 29 Apr. 2022 In his spare time, Patrick started a slo-pitch softball team at his local pub with the help of another expatriate American. Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023
Noun
Egyptian gold miner Centamin is also hiring more local labor than expatriates from Europe and Australia. Yusuf Khan, WSJ, 1 June 2023 Her fears are compounded by her awareness that voting is being allowed only for Guatemalan expatriates in the United States and not for those in Canada, Mexico, Spain and other Central American and European countries. Soudi Jiménez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2023 Foreign governments continued to evacuate their personnel and dependents from Sudan on Monday, but for the millions of Sudanese and thousands of expatriates caught up in a lethal power battle between the country’s top two generals, the options to get to safety were narrowing. Nicholas Bariyo, wsj.com, 25 Apr. 2023 Researchers found that the ritual negatively impacted non-native language speakers, neurodivergent employees, and expatriates. Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 4 May 2023 In a separate, smaller survey conducted this month, 68% of companies polled also cited bilateral tensions and other geopolitical risks as the top consideration by expatriates when deciding whether to move to China for work. Michelle Toh, CNN, 27 Apr. 2023 The Chinese government has taken steps to intimidate expatriates who speak out against the country's domestic crackdowns on civil liberties and aggressive international posture. Luke Barr, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2023 But now some of those Dallas expatriates and new residents are boosting the county’s population again. Steve Brown, Dallas News, 31 Mar. 2023 People in Russia can reach the service through virtual private networks or proxy systems, while the swelling ranks of expatriates contribute freely. Joseph Menn, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'expatriate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Medieval Latin expatriatus, past participle of expatriare to leave one's own country, from Latin ex- + patria native country, from feminine of patrius of a father, from patr-, pater father — more at father

First Known Use

Verb

1768, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1812, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1818, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of expatriate was in 1768

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Dictionary Entries Near expatriate

Cite this Entry

“Expatriate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expatriate. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

expatriate

1 of 3 verb
ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt How to pronounce expatriate (audio)
expatriated; expatriating

expatriate

2 of 3 adjective
ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt How to pronounce expatriate (audio)
-trē-ət
: living in a foreign country

expatriate

3 of 3 noun
ex·​pa·​tri·​ate
ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt,
-trē-ət
: a person living in a foreign country
especially : one who has renounced his or her native country

Legal Definition

expatriate

verb
ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt How to pronounce expatriate (audio)
expatriated; expatriating

transitive verb

: to voluntarily withdraw (oneself) from allegiance to one's native country

intransitive verb

: to renounce allegiance to one's country and abandon one's nationality voluntarily
expatriate
-trē-ət
noun
expatriation noun

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