refugee

noun

ref·​u·​gee ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē 

ˈre-fyu̇-ˌjē

: one that flees

especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution

refugeeism

ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē-ˌi-zəm 

ˈre-fyu̇-ˌjē-

noun

Synonyms of refugee

• exile
• fugitive
• alien
• émigré
• expatriate

Examples of refugee in a Sentence

Thousands of refugees have fled the area.

refugees began returning to their homeland after years of political unrest and war

Recent Examples on the Web

Finn says the man told him that his grandparents lived near the battlefield and were among the refugees evacuated in the wave that left along with the Meredith Victory. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026

On the façade, Petrit Halilaj’s metallic monumentalization of children’s drawings from Kosovo harks back to his childhood as a refugee during the Yugoslav wars. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 9 Nov. 2026

This was 2015, in which a million refugees entered Europe from Syria, Afghanistan and around the world. — Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 9 Nov. 2026

In the short, a group of refugees from a post-apocalyptic Earth search for a new planet to call home. — Matt Alt, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French réfugié, past participle of (se) réfugier to take refuge, from Middle French refugier, from Latin refugium

First Known Use

1685, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

refugee

noun

ref·​u·​gee ˌref-yu̇-ˈjē 

ˈref-yu̇-ˌjē

: a person who flees for safety especially to a foreign country

Etymology

from French réfugié, past participle of réfugier "to put in a place of safety," from Latin refugium "a refuge," from refugere "to run away from, escape," from re- "again, against" and fugere "to run away, flee" — related to centrifugal, fugitive

Legal Definition

refugee

noun

ref·​u·​gee ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē 

: an individual seeking refuge or asylum

especially : an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)