1
: an inviolable place of refuge and protection giving shelter to criminals and debtors : sanctuary
3
a
: the protection or security afforded by an asylum : refuge
b
: protection from arrest and extradition given especially to political refugees by a nation or by an embassy or other agency enjoying freedom from what is required by law for most people
4
somewhat old-fashioned
: an institution providing care and protection to needy individuals (such as the infirm or destitute) and especially the mentally ill
Examples of asylum in a Sentence
She asked for political asylum.
She was granted asylum after it was made clear that she would be killed if she returned to her native country.
Recent Examples on the Web
Major Colorado Migrant Raid: 'Crime Ridden Mess' Trump's Mass Deportations Are Pushing US Farms to Breaking Point
Such a deal would allow the U.S. to send asylum seekers caught at the U.S. border to Libya to process their claims.
—
Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Many are asylum seekers, individuals admitted at the U.S.-Mexico border while seeking refuge, recipients of humanitarian parole, or even people with pending or approved applications for temporary protection from deportation.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025
In the years since, the various rescue boats of the civil fleet – operating within international maritime law – have brought tens of thousands of asylum seekers to European shores, much to the chagrin of leaders such as Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who was elected on a largely anti-migration platform.
—Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Trump has regularly criticized former President Joe Biden for permitting millions of people to enter the United States under parole or an asylum claim after the border was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for asylum
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Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Many are asylum seekers, individuals admitted at the U.S.-Mexico border while seeking refuge, recipients of humanitarian parole, or even people with pending or approved applications for temporary protection from deportation.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025
In the years since, the various rescue boats of the civil fleet – operating within international maritime law – have brought tens of thousands of asylum seekers to European shores, much to the chagrin of leaders such as Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who was elected on a largely anti-migration platform.
—Frey Lindsay, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Trump has regularly criticized former President Joe Biden for permitting millions of people to enter the United States under parole or an asylum claim after the border was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for asylum
Cite this Entry
“Asylum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asylum. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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Medical Definition
asylum
noun
asy·lum
ə-ˈsī-ləm 
: an institution providing care and protection to needy individuals (such as the infirm or destitute) and especially the mentally ill
Legal Definition
asylum
noun
asy·lum
ə-ˈsī-ləm
: protection from arrest and extradition given especially to political refugees by a nation or by an embassy or other agency that has diplomatic immunity
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