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
Synonyms of refugee
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
According to Rathore, one of the two unresolved issues concerns 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees in the legislative assembly.
—
ABC News, 6 June 2026
Pakistan was left to deal with the fallout from the Afghan civil war that followed, which included accepting nearly four million Afghan refugees.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 3 June 2026
As civilians of the surrounding areas become displaced by the Fire Nation, more and more refugees, including Zuko and Iroh, who’ve been living off the grid, make their way to the capital.
—Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Whispers had been shared about this enthralling, lightning-fast midfielder who had arrived in Edmonton as a five-year-old refugee from Liberia, West Africa.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refugee
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ABC News, 6 June 2026
Pakistan was left to deal with the fallout from the Afghan civil war that followed, which included accepting nearly four million Afghan refugees.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 3 June 2026
As civilians of the surrounding areas become displaced by the Fire Nation, more and more refugees, including Zuko and Iroh, who’ve been living off the grid, make their way to the capital.
—Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Whispers had been shared about this enthralling, lightning-fast midfielder who had arrived in Edmonton as a five-year-old refugee from Liberia, West Africa.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for refugee
Cite this Entry
“Refugee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refugee. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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)
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