Definition of refugee
: one that flees; especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution
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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 of refugee from the Web
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The administration also wants to be able to suspend the refugee program for 120 days, a separate aspect of the policy that has been blocked by a federal judge in Hawaii and is now being considered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
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And Palestinians would begin to make the transition from hapless refugees in the 1940s and 1950s to terrorists and guerrillas during the 1960s and 1970s to political interlocutors by the 1980s.
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The move comes after a sharp dip in refugee arrivals to Illinois and the U.S. since Trump took office.
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Haley, Trump’s U.N. ambassador, had started the day in Turkey’s capital, opened a refugee school in the south of the country, then traveled hours in an armored vehicle to the Syrian border.
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Robert Bentley sued the federal government arguing officials were not consulting with states on refugee placement.
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Kay’s mother died in a refugee camp, but the rest of the family made it to America, settling first in Orange County.
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The praise by Seehofer, who pilloried Merkel throughout the country’s refugee crisis for not doing enough to stem the flow of migrants, marked a turnaround.
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That is well below the 84,994 refugees admitted in fiscal year 2016, but not by nearly as much as many advocates had feared.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'refugee'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of refugee
French réfugié, past participle of (se) réfugier to take refuge, from Middle French refugier, from Latin refugium
First Known Use: 1685
REFUGEE Defined for English Language Learners
refugee
playDefinition of refugee for English Language Learners
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: someone who has been forced to leave a country because of war or for religious or political reasons
REFUGEE Defined for Kids
refugee
playDefinition of refugee for Students
: a person who flees for safety (as from war) usually to a foreign country
Law Dictionary
refugee
playLegal Definition of refugee
: 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)
Learn More about refugee
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See words that rhyme with refugee Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for refugee Spanish Central: Translation of refugee Nglish: Translation of refugee for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of refugee for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about refugee
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