emigrate

American  

[em-i-greyt] / ˈɛm ɪˌgreɪt /

verb (used without object)

emigrated, emigrating

1. to leave one country or region to settle in another; migrate.

   to emigrate from Ireland to Australia.

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emigrate British  

/ ˈɛmɪˌɡreɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to leave one place or country, esp one's native country, in order to settle in another Compare immigrate

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Usage

What does emigrate mean? Emigrate means to permanently leave home in one country or region to settle in another. The act or occurrence of emigrating is called emigration. A person who is emigrating or has emigrated can be called an emigrant. What’s the difference between emigrate, immigrate, and migrate?To migrate is to move from one place to another (and perhaps back and forth). To emigrate is to move out, and to immigrate is to move in. For this reason, the word emigrate is commonly followed by from and the home country, whereas immigrate is commonly followed by to and the destination country. Of course, emigrate and immigrate are two ways to describe the same process—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 people to immigrate to, while another may be a place that people are frequently emigrating from. The words migrate and immigrate 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 emigrate is almost always about the starting point. Example: The lack of employment has caused a significant number of people to emigrate, with many highly skilled workers leaving the country.

Related Words

See migrate.

Other Word Forms

• emigrative adjective
• emigratory adjective
• reemigrate verb (used without object)
• unemigrating adjective

Etymology

Origin of emigrate

First recorded in 1770–80; from Latin ēmīgrātus “moved away” (past participle of ēmīgrāre ), equivalent to ē- “from, away from, out of” ( e- ¹ ) + mīgrātus ( mīgr- “remove” + ātus verb suffix ( -ate ¹ )

Explanation

If you move to a different country, you emigrate. For example, if you emigrate from Canada and go to Italy, you aren't on vacation — you are making Italy your new home. Benvenuti! The verb emigrate comes from the Latin word emigrare, which means “move away,” or “depart from a place.” The words emigrate and immigrate both mean that a person has decided to permanently live in a foreign country, but to emigrate is to leave your country, and to immigrate is to come into a new country. To emigrate is to exit.

Example Sentences

She doesn't want to emigrate like the millions who have fled Venezuela's economic crisis but longs for political and economic reform, saying everything is "too expensive", education is a "privilege", and non-exploitative jobs are rare.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Many of his friends also want to emigrate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Many of the richest Swiss taxpayers vowed to emigrate if the referendum passed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

The small Mediterranean country has faced waves of crisis and conflict that have driven people to emigrate, with millions of Lebanese or their descendants now living abroad.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

They were predestined to emigrate to the tropics, to be miners and acetate silk spinners and steel workers.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Related Words

• depart
• migrate
• quit