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

Where such freedoms are safeguarded, democracy is more robust, local and regional conflicts are less likely, cross-border migration is reduced, and prosperity and the prospect of lucrative business and trade opportunities abound. —Miles P. J. Windsor, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025

For Charlotte specifically, midyear migration trends showed recent U-Haul moves into the city mostly originated from Atlanta, Georgia; Columbia, South Carolina; and Greenville, South Carolina. —Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025

Based on dissections of a few catfish and the timing of the sighting, researchers concluded the bumblebee catfish were likely migrating upriver to spawn and were not eating during the migration. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2025

Born in Michigan to Mexican farmworkers and raised in Texas, Torres grew up making the annual summer migration from Texas to Michigan to pick berries and other crops. —Andrea Hsu, NPR, 11 Aug. 2025

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