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

If the country’s policy today is at all indicative, detention camps for immigrants will proliferate, often in climate dead zones, and the southern border will become even more militarized. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025

The project follows the story of an undocumented immigrant who has always relied heavily on her legal daughter to get through life in America, but everything begins to change when her daughter wants to pursue her own dreams. —Leia Mendoza, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025

Social impact marketing agency Picture Motion launched the initiative with backing from Pop Culture Collaborative, a philanthropic fund that resources storytellers working to transform narratives around people of color, immigrants, refugees, Muslims, and Indigenous peoples. —Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 10 Nov. 2025

Revere owned the modest home in the late 1700s, long before waves of immigrants in the 1900s turned the waterfront area into Boston’s Little Italy. —Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025

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