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

• 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

The undocumented migrants are from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025

But the high court also allowed the Trump administration to end two Biden-era programs shielding nearly more than 800,000 migrants from Latin American countries from the threat of deportation. —Melissa Quinn july 9, CBS News, 9 July 2025

The facility is intended to house, process and deport migrants, with National Guard troops and private contractors providing security. —Dara Kam, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025

The Trump administration is ending temporary legal protections for tens of thousands of migrants from Honduras and Nicaragua, citing improved conditions in both countries. —Juliana Kim, NPR, 7 July 2025

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