migrant

noun

mi·​grant ˈmī-grənt 

plural migrants

: someone or something that migrates: such as

a

: a person who moves regularly in order to find work especially in harvesting crops

farms employing migrants during the growing season

b

: immigrant sense a

especially : refugee

… administration officials announced they would work to swiftly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border … and penalize people who cross illegally into the U.S. or illegally through another country on their way to the U.S. border.

—Colleen Long

c

: an animal (such as a gray whale, monarch butterfly, leatherback sea turtle, or Canada goose) that moves usually long distances from one habitat or geographic region to another

migrant adjective

migrant labor

migrant birds

Synonyms of migrant

• immigrant
• refugee
• settler
• emigrant

Examples of migrant in a Sentence

migrants in search of work on farms

Not all birds are migrants.

Recent Examples on the Web

Most Haitian migrants settled in Brooklyn neighborhoods including Flatbush, East Flatbush and Crown Heights. — ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

Migration remains one of the most heated political issues in Britain, despite the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats falling to its lowest level since 2020, according to the Home Office. — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

The town has been the site of previous anti-immigrant protests focused on migrants who cross the English Channel from France in small boats. — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Authorities did not say how many migrants were aboard, only that they will be processed to establish their identities and will eventually be repatriated back to Haiti via Cap-Haïtien. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin migrant-, migrans, present participle of migrare

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing migrant

• in-migrant
• out-migrant

Kids Definition

migrant

noun

mi·​grant ˈmī-grənt 

: a person, animal, or plant that migrates

migrant adjective