noun
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the act or an instance of migrating
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a group of people, birds, etc, migrating in a body
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chem a movement of atoms, ions, or molecules, such as the motion of ions in solution under the influence of electric fields
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The seasonal movement of a complete population of animals from one area to another. Migration is usually a response to changes in temperature, food supply, or the amount of daylight, and is often undertaken for the purpose of breeding. Mammals, insects, fish, and birds all migrate. The precise mechanism of navigation during migration is not fully understood, although for birds it is believed that sharp eyesight, sensibility to the Earth's magnetic field, and the positions of the Sun and other stars may play a role.
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The movement of one atom or more, or of a double bond, from one position to another within a molecule.
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The movement of ions between electrodes during electrolysis.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of migration
First recorded in 1605–15, migration is from the Latin word migrātīon- (stem of migrātiō ). See migrate, -ion
Explanation
Migration is the movement of either people or animals from one area to another. Look up in the trees, where you might see a Monarch butterfly make a stop on its migration to Mexico. Migration can be used for the journey from one place to another or for the act of movement. Thousands of mid-western farmers made the migration to California during the dust bowl. Demographers have noted the migration of young people to the big cities presumably for work. With animals, it’s almost always in reference to a seasonal change in location. On boat tours, you can see the whales during their annual migration down the West coast.
Vocabulary lists containing migration
Words of a Feather: Unflappable Avian Vocabulary
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Human Geography - Middle School
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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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.
Other groups, including local tribes and environmental justice organizations, are watching the state’s efforts closely for potential effects such as sediment disruption and erosion, changes in whale migration and pollution from construction.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
Taken together, the appearance reframed Colbert’s exit from CBS not as disappearance, but as migration.
From Salon • May 23, 2026
New York had become the destination of a wave of migration as the city’s free homeless-shelter system drew migrants from such places as Venezuela who had no friends or family to take them in.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
He added the latest figures on net migration - the difference between those entering and leaving the country - show the "trend is significantly down".
From BBC • May 22, 2026
At the very least, it spoke to the migration patterns of ancient people.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
