immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈi-mə-ˌgrāt 

immigrated; immigrating

intransitive verb

: to enter and usually become established

especially : to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence

My grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Italy.

transitive verb

: to bring in or send as immigrants

helped immigrate them

Examples of immigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Humphries moved to San Diego, immigrating legally from Canada in a process that spanned the late 2010s to early 2020s. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026

Trump’s mother, Mary Anne, immigrated from Scotland in 1930. —Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026

The business is certainly a family affair for the Floras, who immigrated to the United States from the Puglia region in southern Italy in 1962. —Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026

Gonzales’ dad, Delfino, had immigrated to Austin from Monterrey, Nuevo León, and made tortillas and tamales for a living. —Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin immigratus, past participle of immigrare to remove, go in, from in- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for immigrate

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

Kids Definition

immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈim-ə-ˌgrāt 

immigrated; immigrating

: to come into a foreign country to live

immigration

ˌim-ə-ˈgrā-shən 

noun