Definition of refugeenext
as in exile
a person forced to emigrate for political reasons refugees began returning to their homeland after years of political unrest and war

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 refugee Nguyen-Duy, who immigrated to the United States as a political refugee in 1975, had taught at Oberlin since 1998. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 Many lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, lost eligibility. — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026 One card was from a Syrian woman whose family discouraged her from sitting for an on camera to share her experiences as a refugee – so Sachs settles for filming a tribute to the woman’s cooking skills. — Will Tizard, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026 The goal, according to the Wall Street Journal, is to find evidence to denaturalize Omar, a Somali refugee who arrived in the United States at age twelve, and deport her. — Peter Slevin, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for refugee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refugee
Noun
  • The selection embraces widely different approaches to filmmaking, from formally experimental work to more accessible independent productions, while exploring political upheaval, memory, exile and intimate family relationships.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Boris Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky, whose television networks refused to bend the knee, were driven into exile within the year.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The fugitive tells his underwater buddies what the humans have been doing to their kind.
    — Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Cledith Arthur fled after his arrest and remained a fugitive until his death in Pennsylvania in 2004.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Shatner’s Star Trek captain was your slightly drunk uncle, always deciding the rules never applied to him and winking rapaciously at the nearest sexy alien.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Bhengura faces a maximum of five years in prison on the false statements of citizenship in order to register to vote count and a maximum of one year in prison on the voting by an alien in a federal election count.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • But unlike most Israeli expatriates, his return voyage was a 10,000-mile, 30-plus-hour odyssey from a remote sheep station in the Australian outback to his village in the Galilee, in northern Israel.
    — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Thousands of Serb expatriates in the United States, Australia and New Zealand face the same problem.
    — Branimir Pipal, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Refugee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refugee. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on refugee

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster