migration

noun

mi·​gra·​tion mī-ˈgrā-shən 

: the act, process, or an instance of migrating

watched the migration of the birds overhead

migrational

mī-ˈgrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Examples of migration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Visit between mid-January and late March and your family might be treated to a humpback whale sighting during migration season. —Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026

The island is a stop on one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, and migrants who arrive there have often made a perilous journey across the sea. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 21 Feb. 2026

Doñana National Park is a vast wetland system in southwestern Spain that supports one of the continent's richest ecosystems and plays a critical role in European and African bird migration and breeding. —Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2026

The state recorded the largest net migration increase, with nearly 11,000 more people moving in than leaving. —Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French or Latin; French, from Latin migration-, migratio, from migratus (past participle of migrare to migrate) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at migrate

First Known Use

circa 1527, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing migration

• pre-migration

Rhymes for migration

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Kids Definition

migration

noun

mi·​gra·​tion

mī-ˈgrā-shən

1

: the act or an instance of migrating

2

: a group of individuals that are migrating

Medical Definition

migration

noun

mi·​gra·​tion mī-ˈgrā-shən 

: the act, process, or an instance of migrating

migration of larval nematodes to the lungs