immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈi-mə-ˌgrāt 

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

Su was born in Taiwan and moved to the U.S. at age 3, when the family immigrated so her father could attend graduate school. —Billy Perrigo, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024

Her family immigrated from Phuoc Lam to the Gulf coast in 1975, and the two places share some similarities: French influence and a dominant fishing industry. —The Bon Appétit and Epicurious Staffs, Bon Appétit, 10 Dec. 2024

The sisters immigrated to the United States separately but during the same year. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024

Fellow South Dakotan Paul Soroka, who immigrated to the United States from Ukraine in 1999 and owns a tailor shop in Sioux Falls, also appreciated Noem’s nomination to lead DHS. —Sabine Martin, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024

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

Kids Definition

immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈim-ə-ˌgrāt 

immigrated; immigrating

: to come into a foreign country to live

immigration

ˌim-ə-ˈgrā-shən 

noun