migrant

noun

mi·​grant ˈmī-grənt How to pronounce migrant (audio)
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

Examples of migrant in a Sentence

migrants in search of work on farms Not all birds are migrants.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The remainder include both lawful residents and unauthorized migrants. Sara Chernikoff, USA Today, 28 June 2025 The department said their TPS protections would lapse on Sept. 2. Created by Congress in 1990, TPS allows the federal government to offer migrants work permits and a reprieve from deportation if their home countries are engulfed in a crisis, such as a war or an environmental disaster. June 27, CBS News, 27 June 2025 Our faith calls us to protect children and families, treat migrants and refugees with compassion, and uphold the dignity of every person because each of us is made in the image of God. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025 Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday ordered the government of Rodrigo Chaves to release Asian migrants deported by the Trump administration who have been held in a temporary shelter in the Central American country since February. Ronny Rojas, NBC news, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for migrant

Word History

Etymology

Latin migrant-, migrans, present participle of migrare

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of migrant was in 1760

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Cite this Entry

“Migrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/migrant. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

migrant

noun
mi·​grant ˈmī-grənt How to pronounce migrant (audio)
: a person, animal, or plant that migrates
migrant adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on migrant

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