immigrant

noun

im·​mi·​grant ˈi-mə-grənt 

: one that immigrates: such as

a

: a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence

b

: a plant or animal that becomes established in an area where it was previously unknown

immigrant adjective

Did you know?

immigrant or emigrant?

Both of these words come from the Latin migrare (“to move from one place to another”), and both have definitions in English that hew closely to their etymological roots, but there is a definite difference between how you would use each one. Emigrant is used in reference to the country that has been left (“an emigrant from Canada”), while immigrant is used in reference the country that one is destined for (“an immigrant to Spain”).

Synonyms

• migrant
• emigrant
• settler
• refugee

Examples of immigrant in a Sentence

Millions of immigrants came to America from Europe in the 19th century.

The city has a large immigrant population.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Gilded Age, remember, is also the era of Jacob Riis’ landmark photo essay, How the Other Half Lives (1890), which documented children sleeping in deserted buildings, immigrants crammed into filthy dormitories, and alleyways piled with trash. —Deborah Williams july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025

Superman, however, has long been described by fans and critics as an immigrant. —Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025

The President has a close connection to the country, as his mother Mary was a Scottish immigrant. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 14 July 2025

Selma’s parents were immigrants from Germany, and so was her husband, Anton de Winter, as he was listed on the manifest of the Edam, the ship that brought him to Ellis Island, in 1896. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 14 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing immigrant

• anti-immigrant
• illegal alien/immigrant

Rhymes for immigrant

• nonimmigrant

Kids Definition

immigrant

noun

im·​mi·​grant ˈim-i-grənt 

1

: a person who comes to a country to live there

2

: a plant or animal that becomes established in an area where it did not occur previously

immigrant adjective