migrant

noun

mi·​grant ˈmī-grənt How to pronounce migrant (audio)
plural migrants
: someone or something that migrates: such as
a
: a person who moves regularly in order to find work especially in harvesting crops
farms employing migrants during the growing season
b
: immigrant sense a
especially : refugee
… administration officials announced they would work to swiftly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border … and penalize people who cross illegally into the U.S. or illegally through another country on their way to the U.S. border. Colleen Long
c
: an animal (such as a gray whale, monarch butterfly, leatherback sea turtle, or Canada goose) that moves usually long distances from one habitat or geographic region to another
migrant adjective
migrant labor
migrant birds

Examples of migrant in a Sentence

migrants in search of work on farms Not all birds are migrants.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The expansion comes as India has become the largest source of new migrants to Australia, with Punjabi now the fastest-growing language in the country. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025 Observers and legal experts say this effort has caused more migrants to skip out on immigration court proceedings, scared away from the legal immigration process by the aggressive federal crackdown. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025 As of 2023, roughly 110,000 migrants lived in Louisiana without legal permission, while about 40,000 migrants were illegally in Mississippi, according to the Pew Research Center. Max Rego, The Hill, 19 Nov. 2025 Small boats carrying migrants have capsized numerous times before, including in the same area where Friday's incident happened. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for migrant

Word History

Etymology

Latin migrant-, migrans, present participle of migrare

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of migrant was in 1760

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Migrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/migrant. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

migrant

noun
mi·​grant ˈmī-grənt How to pronounce migrant (audio)
: a person, animal, or plant that migrates
migrant adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on migrant

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