emigrant
Americannoun
adjective
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Usage
What does emigrant mean? An emigrant is a person who has emigrated or is emigrating—permanently leaving home in one country or region to settle in another.The act or occurrence of emigrating is called emigration.What’s the difference between emigrant, immigrant, and migrant?A migrant is a person who moves from one place to another (and perhaps back and forth). An emigrant is someone who moves away, while an immigrant is someone who moves in. For this reason, the word emigrant is often followed by from and the home country, whereas immigrant is often followed by to and the destination country.Of course, emigrant and immigrant often refer to the same person—people who are emigrating are also immigrating (if they leave, they have to go somewhere).But there are good reasons to use each word in different situations. For example, one country may be a common destination for immigrants, while another may experience the frequent departure of emigrants.The words migrant and immigrant are more likely to be used to describe such relocation in a general way (that is, a way that takes both the starting point and the destination into account), whereas emigrant is almost always used in reference to the place that has been left.Less commonly, emigrant can be used as an adjective to mean in the process of emigrating, as in emigrant peoples. Another word for an emigrant is émigré, which especially refers to an emigrant who has fled their country due to political conditions.Example: The lack of employment has caused a significant number of emigrants to leave the country in search of jobs.
Other Word Forms
- nonemigrant noun
- unemigrant adjective
Etymology
Origin of emigrant
An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; from Latin ēmigrant- (stem of ēmigrāns ) “moving away” (present participle of ēmigrāre ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” + migrant- ( migr-, stem of migrāre “to remove” + -ant- adjective suffix); e- 1, -ant )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some young men from the neighbourhood had made the dangerous voyage in smugglers’ boats to the Italian island of Lampedusa as emigrants, said Mourad.
From Reuters
Jean-Pierre, who was born in Martinique to Haitian emigrants and grew up in New York City, has spoken publicly about how her own experiences as an immigrant have informed her lengthy career in politics.
From Seattle Times
Many of Southern Towers’ tenants are African emigrants who do not want to jeopardize their immigration status.
From Washington Times
In a remarkable commitment by a foreign government, Driscoll’s salary is being paid for the year by Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Department through its emigrant support program.
From Washington Post
There’s a line toward the end in which a wolf considers the starving emigrants and wonders why they don’t eat the dead.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
