refugees

noun

plural of refugee
as in exiles
a person forced to emigrate for political reasons refugees began returning to their homeland after years of political unrest and war

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 refugees Its floors filled with bunk beds, a prison and hospital, all deep underground, have been repurposed over the years as overflow housing for refugees, asylum seekers and the homeless. — Rob Schmitz, NPR, 8 Aug. 2026 Steven Spielberg’s personal masterpiece is the saga of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish refugees in Poland during the Holocaust. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2026 Some generated images of a nuclear plant in Iran, or refugees near the Mexico-US border. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026 That includes nearly 18,900 children who have lost access to federal nutrition benefits since July 2025 and 1,745 refugees and asylum seekers. — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026 With no one to bring news from home, like many refugees, Reda has been keeping tabs on his property through satellite imagery. — Ava Bambuck, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 Mai is propagating more than 170 varieties collected from refugees around the world, helping preserve these precious grains while studying which are best suited to our changing climate. — Laura McLively, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026 Beyond supplying weapons and humanitarian aid, Germany has also trained more than 24,000 Ukrainian soldiers and is hosting more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026 Thousands of Tibetan refugees live in Nepal and pass through the territory to reach their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refugees
  1. exiles
  2. aliens
  3. evacuees
  4. expatriates
Noun
  • Pure catharsis that exiles can dedicate in the name of those silenced on the island.
    — Sarah Moreno August 7, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In his brutal eight-year reign, Amin was estimated by exiles and human rights groups to have caused the deaths of at least 300,000 people and expelled the country’s Asian population.
    — Andrew Fifield, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of exiles
Noun
  • Once again, we’re shown Blunt’s character being hijacked by aliens mid-weather report, uttering an alien language of clicks and pops.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Definition of aliens
Noun
  • British Columbia Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said the state of emergency gives the province additional powers, including the ability to restrict travel and secure accommodations for evacuees that might otherwise be unavailable.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Highway 97, a major route through the region, was closed between Peachland and Penticton as roads filled with evacuees.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of evacuees
Noun
  • Likewise, the Relief Procedures for Certain Former Citizens provides a pathway for eligible former citizens with minimal tax liability to resolve outstanding filing obligations without becoming covered expatriates.
    — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • His success in the States landed him on the Israeli reality series The Americans, which follows Israeli expatriates chasing the American dream in the United States.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026
Definition of expatriates

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Cite this Entry

“Refugees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refugees. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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