migrants

noun

plural of migrant
as in immigrants
one that leaves one place to settle in another we traced our family history back to migrants who came to this country seeking a better life for themselves

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of migrants The Coast Guard could not confirm Monday if the people on board were migrants because interviews with survivors had not yet been conducted. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026 She was denied asylum under a Biden-era border policy that restricted eligibility for many migrants who crossed the southern border outside official pathways. — Mick Krever, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026 But the Polish ombudsman and nongovernmental organizations assisting migrants on the border contradict the minister. — Claudia Ciobanu, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 The backlash notwithstanding, the Creole language is an indelible part of the Dominican Republic, and has been maintained in the country by migrants for hundreds of years. — Kendall Medford, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026 More than 2 million of these IDs have been issued to Myanmar migrants as of the end of 2024, up from fewer than 800,000 in 2019. — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026 While the birds that left early numbered in the thousands, the number of migrants in late September becomes millions. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Those are the same grievances voiced by migrants in Ceuta and by the Gen Z protesters. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 Anti-immigrant marches and vigilante groups have driven a wave of social upheaval in South Africa this year, often blaming foreign migrants for the country's high crime rate. — Rael Ombuor The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for migrants
  1. immigrants
  2. settlers
  3. refugees
  4. emigrants
Noun
  • The hospital is 2½ hours from the nearest big city, Bismarck, North Dakota, where immigrants fly in and are picked up by hospital staff for the drive down to Hettinger.
    — Evelio Contreras, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • So would Hilton at least be an advocate for undocumented immigrants?
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of immigrants
Noun
  • California’s system of water law dates back to the Gold Rush, when the state government promoted the extermination of Native people to make way for white settlers.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The homeowner, Mahmoud Tubasi, told the AP that the soldiers initially brought him to his home but rioting settlers forced him to leave with his family in a military vehicle.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of settlers
Noun
  • After war broke out over religious and political differences in 1642, people had to flee when their villages became war zones, while other places were filled with desperate refugees.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Lamin has led a peaceful campaign supporting the right of Western Sahara to self-determination, a dream of Sahrawi refugees that has been frustrated for more than half a century.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of refugees
Noun
  • Baksheng leaves behind a family and then creates a new one with other Teochew emigrants at an inn run by a feminist daughter, Zia Lamgi (Li Sitong) who dodges a revolving door of suitors.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The decision could have broad implications for descendants of Italian emigrants, particularly in North and South America, where large Italian diaspora communities have ancestral ties to Italy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of emigrants

Browse Nearby Words

migrant
migrants
migrate
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Cite this Entry

“Migrants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/migrants. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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