emigrate

verb

em·​i·​grate ˈe-mə-ˌgrāt 

emigrated; emigrating

intransitive verb

: to leave one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere

emigrated from Canada to the United States

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.

Examples of emigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And of course multitudes dressed as Freeman, whose parents emigrated from Canada. —Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024

The tour also offered Rodrigo the chance to do some good in a place near and dear to her heart: the Philippines, the country from which her great-grandparents emigrated. —Rachel Desantis, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024

Born in 1872 in County Sligo, Ireland, Mulrooney stayed behind when her parents emigrated to America and spent her childhood on her maternal grandparents’ farm, surrounded by boys. —Melanie Haiken, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

But because Venezuela refuses to take back nationals who have emigrated to the U.S., ICE has to release them because of a federal court ruling that bars it from detaining migrants indefinitely. —Julia Ainsley, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin emigratus, past participle of emigrare, from e- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

emigrate

verb

em·​i·​grate ˈem-ə-ˌgrāt 

emigrated; emigrating

: to leave a country or region to live elsewhere

emigration

ˌem-ə-ˈgrā-shən 

noun