migration

noun

mi·​gra·​tion mī-ˈgrā-shən 

: the act, process, or an instance of migrating

watched the migration of the birds overhead

migrational

mī-ˈgrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of migration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though the mass of Jewish migration, escaping Russian pogroms and Nazi Germany in succeeding waves, occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some arrived before the revolution; but the Constitution, which enshrined religious freedom, granted them legal rights. —Robert Lloyd, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026

The last significant update to the Immigration and Naturalization Act came in 1996, before the internet, globalization and social media transformed world economies and provoked new patterns of migration. —Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026

At the Fenix museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which focuses on migration, chef Maksut Askar elevates Turkish street food such as mantı (dumplings) and mücver (zucchini fritters) at O Anatolian Café. —Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026

In Texas, international migration in the 12 months before June 2025 was less than 170,000 — half compared with the same time frame ending July 2024. —William Tong, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French or Latin; French, from Latin migration-, migratio, from migratus (past participle of migrare to migrate) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at migrate

First Known Use

circa 1527, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing migration

• pre-migration

Rhymes for migration

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Kids Definition

migration

noun

mi·​gra·​tion

mī-ˈgrā-shən

1

: the act or an instance of migrating

2

: a group of individuals that are migrating

Medical Definition

migration

noun

mi·​gra·​tion mī-ˈgrā-shən 

: the act, process, or an instance of migrating

migration of larval nematodes to the lungs