refugee

noun

ref·​u·​gee ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē How to pronounce refugee (audio)
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 How to pronounce refugee (audio)
ˈre-fyu̇-ˌjē-
noun

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 Among other things, Abaza spent weeks in Greece in 2016, serving as an interpreter at a Syrian refugee camp. Tim Carman, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Interweaving super 8 family films, archival material, and experimental animation, a granddaughter takes a deep dive into the remarkable life of her indomitable grandmother— a writer, WWII refugee and Holocaust survivor. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 In other words, first non-Muslim refugees would be allowed citizenship. Sameer Yasir, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Malani’s childhood experience as a refugee during the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan shaped both her art and her identity. Dean Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the coup, the Comisión Provincial por la Memoria—an organization that investigates and memorializes human rights violations in Argentina—combed secret police files for information about the refugees saved by the Argentine embassy in Chile after the coup. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 8 Mar. 2024 Following the proclamation of the state of Israel in 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled or fled their land; many ended up as refugees in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024 Rafah is a nearly twenty-five-square-mile area, in which refugees from Gaza City and Khan Younis are now sheltering. Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'refugee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of refugee was in 1685

Dictionary Entries Near refugee

Cite this Entry

“Refugee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refugee. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

refugee

noun
ref·​u·​gee ˌref-yu̇-ˈjē How to pronounce refugee (audio)
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 How to pronounce refugee (audio)
: 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)

More from Merriam-Webster on refugee

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