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
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 refugees
The latter clause — the principle that Palestinian refugees and their descendants have a right to return to land that became Israel — is not explicitly mentioned in the boycott literature on the FWP website.
—
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Coverage would be restored to asylum seekers, refugees, people on work visas and students.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Migrants and refugees passing through the country when trying to reach Europe have also faced dire conditions.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Syria is in a vulnerable place and is not in position to negotiate from strength, especially as Sharaa tries to open Syria to the Western world, boost its economy and bring back the civil war refugees from neighboring countries.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
After the first group of trainees, mostly middle-class, English-speaking, and with military connections, more and more refugees coming from more rural areas or with lower proficiency levels also entered the industry.
—Arabelle Sicardi, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025
Yaghi was born in Jordan to a family of Palestinian refugees.
—Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
In 1945, three men — two Jewish refugees living in Brooklyn and one Nazi deserter — enlisted in the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Her parents were forced to stay in Afghanistan for health reasons, leaving Safdari and her brother to start over by themselves as refugees in England.
—Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Coverage would be restored to asylum seekers, refugees, people on work visas and students.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Migrants and refugees passing through the country when trying to reach Europe have also faced dire conditions.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Syria is in a vulnerable place and is not in position to negotiate from strength, especially as Sharaa tries to open Syria to the Western world, boost its economy and bring back the civil war refugees from neighboring countries.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
After the first group of trainees, mostly middle-class, English-speaking, and with military connections, more and more refugees coming from more rural areas or with lower proficiency levels also entered the industry.
—Arabelle Sicardi, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025
Yaghi was born in Jordan to a family of Palestinian refugees.
—Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
In 1945, three men — two Jewish refugees living in Brooklyn and one Nazi deserter — enlisted in the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Her parents were forced to stay in Afghanistan for health reasons, leaving Safdari and her brother to start over by themselves as refugees in England.
—Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refugees
Noun
-
Today, Venezuela has the largest population of exiles in the Americas and the second largest in the world after Syria — despite not being in a civil war — with more than 8 million people living abroad.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Six years later, he was assigned to be a pastor at a church in Bay Ridge, where the pews, once occupied by Norwegian immigrants, were filling up with Arab Christians, many of them Palestinian exiles.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The evacuees are now being sheltered in temporary tents as authorities assess structural safety and continue emergency response efforts.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Another notice is on the hunt for fire relief volunteers who help fire evacuees.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The social-media ban cut off many of these expatriates from their families.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Some parents are concerned that tuition fees for international schools in Kenya could rise further with the arrival of more expatriates in the country.—
Martin K.N Siele,
semafor.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refugees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refugees. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share