emigrant

1 of 2

noun

em·​i·​grant ˈe-mi-grənt 

1

: one who emigrates

2

: a migrant plant or animal

emigrant

2 of 2

adjective

: departing or having departed from a country to settle elsewhere

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an emigrant and an immigrant?

Immigrant and emigrant both refer to a person leaving their own country for another. However, immigrant (and its verb form immigrate) typically stresses the country someone is going to, while emigrant (and its verb emigrate) stresses the country someone is coming from. One is an immigrant to a new country, and an emigrant from an old one. See here for more on the difference between emigrant and immigrant.

Is emigrant a noun or a verb?

Emigrant is a noun, meaning "one who leaves one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere." It is synonymous with émigré, a word that is especially used of a person who has left for political reasons. The verb form of the word is emigrate.

Does emigrant imply illegality?

Both emigrant and immigrant refer to a person who has moved from one country to another, usually in permanent or semi-permanent fashion. Neither word by itself has any connotations of illegality.

Synonyms

Noun

• émigré
• emigré
• immigrant
• incomer [chiefly British]
• in-migrant
• migrant
• out-migrant
• settler

Examples of emigrant in a Sentence

Noun

Millions of European emigrants came to America in the 19th century.

a city with emigrants from many lands

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Prospective emigrants must navigate extensive background checks, provide proof of wealth origin, and demonstrate significant liquid assets beyond their investment commitments. —David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024

By September 2, the troops were camped along the North Platte near a place called Ash Hollow, a popular stopping point for westward-traveling emigrants on the Oregon Trail. —Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

Adjective

McDonald-Gibson points out the irony of central and eastern Europeans vilifying asylum seekers even as their own countries’ emigrant citizens are denigrated across western Europe, where millions of Czechs, Poles, Slovaks, and others have gone to work in the past decade. —Elizabeth Collett, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017

Waltz and Dafoe are wily and meticulous as emigrant and southern-rebel types, both seen leaning back, crossing their legs like Henry Fonda’s contemplative Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine. —Armond White, National Review, 30 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1732, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1747, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

emigrant

noun

em·​i·​grant

ˈem-i-grənt

1

: one that emigrates

2

: a migrant plant or animal

emigrant adjective