emigration

American  

[em-i-gray-shuhn] / ˌɛm ɪˈgreɪ ʃən /

noun

• emigrations
  plural

1. an act or instance of emigrating.

2. a body of emigrants; emigrants collectively.

3. Physiology. diapedesis.

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emigration British  

/ ˌɛmɪˈɡreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of emigrating

2. emigrants considered collectively

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Usage

What does emigration mean? Emigration is the act or occurrence of emigrating—permanently leaving home in one country or region to settle in another. A person who is emigrating or has emigrated can be called an emigrant. Less commonly, emigration can also be used to refer to emigrants collectively. What’s the difference between emigration, immigration, and migration?Migration is the act of moving from one place to another (and perhaps back and forth). Emigration is moving out, while immigration is moving in. For this reason, the word emigration is commonly followed by from and the home country, whereas immigration is commonly followed by to and the destination country. Of course, emigration and immigration 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 immigration, while another may experience frequent emigration. The words migration and immigration 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 emigration is almost always about the starting point. Example: The lack of employment has caused emigration to increase significantly, with many highly skilled workers leaving the country.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonemigration
  noun
• reemigration
  noun
• emigrational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• emigrations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of emigration

1640–50; < Late Latin ēmīgrātiōn- (stem of ēmīgrātiō ) removal. See emigrate, -ion

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Explanation

Emigration is when a person leaves his or her home country to live in another country indefinitely. First used in the 1640s, the noun emigration derives from the Late Latin word emigrationem, meaning "removal from a place." Emigration often happens when people leave their native country to seek a better life in another country. For example, maybe your great-grandparents left Ireland to settle in Albany, NY, where they worked for the railroad. Remember that emigration refers to leaving a country. Immigration refers to entering a new country.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

emigration emigrations

Years of economic crisis, underinvestment and political turmoil have hollowed out once thriving communities, with many homes left empty thanks to mass emigration.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

Immigration and emigration estimates, external from the ONS are updated twice a year.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Europe, unlike the U.S., was long a land of emigration not immigration, sending millions of its sons and daughters to the Americas and overseas empires.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Since his emigration, Durov said he has limited his travel to Russia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

It may have been that they were weak people, ill suited for the rigors of emigration, its humiliations and compromises, its competing demands of self-discipline and adventurousness.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

John James Audubon was among the reputable witnesses of what are more properly called emigrations, not migrations.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2023

It was considered enough to express the tragedy of emigrations, of displaced people and their long march.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 15, 2013

It was 1840, three years after the first baptisms, when the emigrations began.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2012

Joseph Ponten's seven-volume historical novel will trace the emigrations of German minorities abroad, especially in Russia.

From Time Magazine Archive

The number of Catholics was greatly increased by numerous emigrations, specially from Ireland and Catholic Germany.

From Church History, Vol. 3 of 3 by J. H. Kurtz

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