immigrant

American  

[im-i-gruhnt] / ˈɪm ɪ grənt /

noun

1. a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence.

2. an organism found in a new habitat.

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adjective

1. of or relating to immigrants and immigration.

   a department for immigrant affairs.

2. immigrating.

immigrant British  

/ ˈɪmɪɡrənt /

noun

1. 1. a person who comes to a country in order to settle there Compare emigrant

   2. ( as modifier )

      an immigrant community

2. an animal or plant that lives or grows in a region to which it has recently migrated

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Other Word Forms

• nonimmigrant noun

Etymology

Origin of immigrant

An Americanism first recorded in 1780–90; from Latin immigrant-, stem of immigrāns “moving into,” present participle of immigrāre “to move into”; equivalent to im- ¹ + migrant

Example Sentences

“Under the longstanding definition, undocumented immigrants are domiciled in this country: They reside here, with ‘an intention to remain,’” the challengers add.

From The Wall Street Journal

Born in 1932 in South Africa to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants who ran a malt business, Kirsh ventured into grain milling and then distribution, according to news reports.

From The Wall Street Journal

The government said it plans to convert warehouses for an immigrant detention network that would collectively hold more than 92,000 people.

From The Wall Street Journal

The scams have started appearing in U.S. immigrant communities, experts say, though they haven’t spread widely in Western countries, in part because of a shortage of scammers proficient in American or other Western accents.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sergei, a Russian immigrant, and Tszman Chan, from Hong Kong had not only revived the tradition, but persuaded artists from across the world to come to the most north westerly of the Orkney islands.

From BBC