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

• deportee
• émigré
• emigré
• evacuee
• exile
• expat [chiefly British]
• 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

Israeli officials have rejected that definition, arguing that descendants don’t qualify as refugees and thus don’t have the right to return to their ancestral homes in what is now Israel. —Eugenia Yosef and Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025

What might destroy our society is not immigrants or refugees or Palestinians or women seeking abortions or trans people or any of the other assorted others that have been posited as undermining American society. —Viet Thanh Nguyễn, Time, 28 Apr. 2025

Hundreds of Vietnamese refugees from San Diego and Orange counties attended the ceremony, and many were joined by their children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025

But the American public was bitterly divided over whether to accept such a large influx of refugees. —CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025

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)