refugee
Americannoun
-
a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of refugee
First recorded in 1675–85; from French réfugié “taken refuge,” past participle of réfugier “to take refuge”; equivalent to refuge + -ee
Explanation
A refugee is someone who has left a dangerous place for a less dangerous place. You could help refugees from a hurricane by bringing them food and blankets. Refuge means shelter. So a refugee is a person that seeks shelter, usually from war, natural disaster, or some other harmful situation. If you see the conditions inside a refugee camp, you will realize how hard the lives of the refugees must have been before leaving home.
Vocabulary lists containing refugee
President Obama's Farewell Address
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A Long Way Gone
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Albert Einstein
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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.
Another imminent change announced was the relocation of refugee reception centres to border posts.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
"Everyone is an immigrant or a refugee or migrant," Gere said at the launch of the partnership between his foundation and the Hertie School, a Berlin-based public policy university.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
According to Boettcher, Abdulmohsen's motive lay in a conflict with a Cologne-based refugee organisation against which he had lost a civil suit.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
She said the technology had been used so far in shops and bars but not refugee processing centres, adding there was "no ethical way to move forward with these plans".
From BBC • May 28, 2026
“Well...is it big, like a refugee from the Thanksgiving Day Parade?”
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
