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 of immigrant

• 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

Sidney Eskenazi, the son of immigrants, traced his heritage back to Sephardic Jews living in Ottoman Empire territory in what is now Northern Greece, Hyatt remembers. —Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 4 Feb. 2026

The Department of Homeland Security said agents have arrested about 3,000 undocumented immigrants since the operation began. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026

In December, a federal judge in California ordered that, in states involved in the lawsuit, DHS can access only the names and contact information of undocumented immigrants in states involved in the lawsuit. —Paul Kiefer, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026

The White House has long blamed problems arresting criminal immigrants on places known as sanctuary jurisdictions, a term generally applied to state and local governments that limit law enforcement cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security. —Steve Karnowski, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing immigrant

• anti-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