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

Ábrego García had finally been returned from El Salvador on June 6th—but to Tennessee, not to Maryland, and only once the government had filed a new set of charges, in an indictment, accusing him of unlawfully transporting undocumented immigrants across state lines. —Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025

Financial exclusion traps people in cycles of instability and disproportionately affects low-income communities, people of color, immigrants and rural households. —Rathi Murthy, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Both are Haitian immigrants whose temporary legal status in the United States is set to expire soon. —Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025

Williams, 92, is a Jamaican immigrant with end-stage kidney disease whose roof, parts of which are nine and 19 years old, began to leak after a period of heavy weather in late September that coincided with the passage of Hurricane Helene. —Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 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