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• diaspora
  diaspora

  noun

  Usually Diaspora. the scattering of the Jews from the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah following the dissolution of those kingdoms and Babylonian captivity.
• Diaspora
  Diaspora

diaspora

American  

[dahy-as-per-uh, dee-] / daɪˈæs pər ə, di- /

noun

• diasporas
  plural

1. Usually Diaspora. the scattering of the Jews from the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah following the dissolution of those kingdoms and Babylonian captivity.

2. Often Diaspora.

   1. the body of Jews living in countries outside Israel.

   2. such countries collectively.

      Passover is celebrated for seven days in Israel, but for eight days by Jews living in the Diaspora.

3. Often Diaspora. any group that has been dispersed outside its traditional homeland, especially involuntarily, as Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

4. any group migration or flight from a country or region.

   Synonyms:

   scattering, displacement, migration, dissemination, dispersion

   Antonyms:

   return

5. any religious group living as a minority among people of the prevailing religion.

6. the spread or dissemination of something originally confined to a local, homogeneous group, as a language or cultural institution.

   the diaspora of English as a global language.

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Diaspora British  

/ daɪˈæspərə /

noun

1. 1. the dispersion of the Jews after the Babylonian and Roman conquests of Palestine

   2. the Jewish communities outside Israel

   3. the Jews living outside Israel

   4. the extent of Jewish settlement outside Israel

2. (in the New Testament) the body of Christians living outside Palestine

3. (often not capital) a dispersion or spreading, as of people originally belonging to one nation or having a common culture

4. the descendants of Sub-Saharan African peoples living anywhere in the Western hemisphere

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Pop Culture

—“To the Diaspora”: A 1981 poem by African American poet Gwendolyn Brooks. — Diaspora: A 1997 science fiction novel by Australian author Greg Egan.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• diasporic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• diasporas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of diaspora

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Greek diasporá “scattering, dispersion”; see origin at dia-, spore

Explanation

A diaspora is a large group of people with a similar heritage or homeland who have since moved out to places all over the world. The term diaspora comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "to scatter about." And that's exactly what the people of a diaspora do — they scatter from their homeland to places across the globe, spreading their culture as they go. The Bible refers to the Diaspora of Jews exiled from Israel by the Babylonians. But the word is now also used more generally to describe any large migration of refugees, language, or culture.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diaspora Diaspora diasporas

She and Zihan were among some 500 people - mostly Chinese diaspora - who piled into an auditorium recently in Singapore.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Tibetans were targeted alongside Catholic leaders across Asia, Taiwanese Christians, Falun Gong practitioners and other religious and diaspora communities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

During his time as mayor of Manchester, Burnham worked closely with the Irish diaspora and attended many cultural events.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

At Urban Comfort Foods Kitchen, the customizable bowl restaurant is reimagined with African diaspora food.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

The history, the location, the alumni combined to create The Mecca—the crossroads of the black diaspora.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Available starting Sept. 18 at denimtears.com, Africa Diaspora Goods and select Dover Street Market locations and Comme des Garçons shops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

In the third volume of her Diaspora Quartet, Lee follows the Koh family from Australia to Korea to the United States as their paterfamilias John hews to his strong inner compass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Dr Erieka Bennett, who leads the Ghana-based Diaspora African Forum, told the BBC the vote had a personal meaning for the descendants of people who were enslaved, like her.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

The desired identities are often part of the job: “Assistant Professor of Latina/o/x Literatures and Cultures” or “Assistant Professor of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

They spent many hours talking together about the changing world and the dawning of independence and liberation movements across the African Diaspora.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

But there were more than enough day-ones and die-hards in the crowd to keep the party going - including thousands from different diasporas.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

In the 19th and 20th centuries, it helped the city become a bustling metropolis, home to sizable European diasporas and a distinct cosmopolitan culture.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

Gambling has long been a fixture in Black diasporas in America, cherished and bemoaned in equal parts, going back to the 18th century.

From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2026

She’s made waves with No Nazar, a DJ collective she co-founded that hosts parties across the country that highlight the music of the Caribbean and African diasporas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2024

Canada, home to one of the world's largest Ukrainian diasporas, is a vocal supporter of Kyiv.

From Reuters ● Sep. 17, 2023

Related Words

• exodus