immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈi-mə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce immigrate (audio)
immigrated; immigrating

intransitive verb

: to enter and usually become established
especially : to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence

transitive verb

: to bring in or send as immigrants

Examples of immigrate in a Sentence

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.
Fleeing Soviet repression after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the family crossed surreptitiously into Austria, then immigrated to the U.S. when Plachy was 15. Julie Jordan, People.com, 16 Jan. 2025 Following that is Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody as a Hungarian-Jewish architect immigrating to the U.S. post-World War II. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Jan. 2025 His father spoke out publicly against Mussolini and the fascists in Italy before immigrating to England. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025 Adrien Brody is the odds-on favorite to carry home the Oscar as Best Actor for his portrayal of fictional architect Laszlo Toth, a concentration camp survivor who immigrates to American in the late 1940’s. Scott Phillips, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for immigrate 

Word History

Etymology

Latin immigratus, past participle of immigrare to remove, go in, from in- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of immigrate was circa 1623

Dictionary Entries Near immigrate

Cite this Entry

“Immigrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immigrate. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

immigrate

verb
im·​mi·​grate ˈim-ə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce immigrate (audio)
immigrated; immigrating
: to come into a foreign country to live
immigration noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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