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

Instead, Pope Leo will travel to Lampedusa, an Italian island in the Mediterranean that has become a gateway for North African migrants seeking to enter Europe, on July 4, The Free Press reports. —Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026

There are glossy publications, like The European Conservative, and online sites like Remix News, which details alleged crimes committed by migrants in Europe. —Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026

Researchers speculate that the builders may have been strangers to the area—possibly migrants from what is now Latvia, whose low rampart structures are similar to this one—who found themselves in conflict with local communities. —Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026

For example, more than 280 Venezuelan migrants were sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, where routine torture has been documented, in defiance of a federal court order. —Erwin Chemerinsky, Twin Cities, 8 Apr. 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