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

Grit Media, the South Central Film Festival invited Indigenous, Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, immigrant and disabled filmmakers to submit their work, including those in a language other than English.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

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 • Mar. 30, 2026

Hundreds of Somali immigrants would have had just two months to leave the U.S. or face deportation, but earlier this month a judge paused Noem’s action after immigrant rights advocates filed a lawsuit against DHS.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

At this year's awards, held on March 15, Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" -- a wild tale of leftist revolutionaries, white supremacists and immigrant detention centers -- was crowned as best picture.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

She also got a job at a government minister’s office, which was rare for an undocumented immigrant, but she had impressed her employers at the interview.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana