noncitizen

noun

non·​cit·​i·​zen ˌnän-ˈsi-tə-zən 

also

-sən 

: a person who is not a citizen

the only noncitizen in town

—often used before another noun

noncitizen students

Examples of noncitizen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Leibowitz ultimately framed the dispute not around whether noncitizens should vote, but around which level of government the Constitution empowers to decide who may participate in federal elections. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

On a single day late last month, a citizen and a noncitizen—one in Illinois, the other in Texas—became the most recent examples of this new reality. — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

The policy change departs from the practices of prior administrations, which typically allowed most noncitizens without criminal records to request a bond hearing if they were arrested away from the border. — Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Commercial driver’s licenses for noncitizens have become a hot-button issue for the DOT after multiple fatal crashes involving noncitizens who were granted licenses despite not meeting federal standards. — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for noncitizen

• citizen

Legal Definition

noncitizen

noun

non·​cit·​i·​zen

ˌnän-ˈsi-tə-zən

: one who is not a citizen