expatriate

1 of 3

verb

ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt 

expatriated; expatriating

transitive verb

1

: banish, exile

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  -trē-ˌāt 

: living in a foreign land

expatriate

3 of 3

noun

ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ət  -trē-ˌāt 

: 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

Synonyms of expatriate

Verb

• exile
• banish

Noun

• refugee

Examples of expatriate in a Sentence

Verb

members of the deposed dictator's once-feared political party were expatriated as well

Noun

while in exile, the deposed king was accompanied by a small band of loyal expatriates

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

By the early Aughts, Christopher Hitchens, Niall Ferguson, and many others had expatriated and joined America’s vast intellectual-industrial complex. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Makdisi and her husband’s decision to remain in Beirut through so many seasons of uncertainty—despite their ability to expatriate with relative ease—is the central tension that undergirds Beirut Fragments. — Literary Hub, 14 July 2026

Adjective

This is a team assembled from immigration, diaspora, and expatriate ambition, coached by an outsider who can see what insiders missed. — Michael Morris, Time, 1 July 2026

The Stoli Group is run by Russian expatriate billionaire Yuri Shefler, who also lives in Switzerland. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Noun

His success in the States landed him on the Israeli reality series The Americans, which follows Israeli expatriates chasing the American dream in the United States. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026

The club’s members, including an industrialist and his expatriate niece, the president and his pampered wife, and a slew of Chinese tourists, engage in a complex dance with the doting and subservient staff. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 July 2026

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

Rhymes for expatriate

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

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Kids Definition

expatriate

1 of 3 verb

ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt 

expatriated; expatriating

: exile entry 2

expatriation

(ˌ)ek-ˌspā-trē-ˈā-shən 

noun

expatriate

2 of 3 adjective

ex·​pa·​tri·​ate ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt 

-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 

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

ek-ˌspā-trē-ˈā-shən 

noun