migration

American  

[mahy-grey-shuhn] / maɪˈgreɪ ʃən /

noun

migrations plural

1. the process or act of migrating.

2. a migratory movement.

   preparations for the migration.

3. a number or body of persons or animals migrating together.

4. Chemistry. a movement or change of position of atoms within a molecule.

5. Physics. diffusion.

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migration British  

/ maɪˈɡreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of migrating

2. a group of people, birds, etc, migrating in a body

3. chem a movement of atoms, ions, or molecules, such as the motion of ions in solution under the influence of electric fields

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migration Scientific  

/ mī-grā′shən /

1. The seasonal movement of a complete population of animals from one area to another. Migration is usually a response to changes in temperature, food supply, or the amount of daylight, and is often undertaken for the purpose of breeding. Mammals, insects, fish, and birds all migrate. The precise mechanism of navigation during migration is not fully understood, although for birds it is believed that sharp eyesight, sensibility to the Earth's magnetic field, and the positions of the Sun and other stars may play a role.

2. The movement of one atom or more, or of a double bond, from one position to another within a molecule.

3. The movement of ions between electrodes during electrolysis.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonmigration
  noun
• remigration
  noun
• migrational
  adjective
• premigration
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• migrations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of migration

First recorded in 1605–15, migration is from the Latin word migrātīon- (stem of migrātiō ). See migrate, -ion

Explanation

Migration is the movement of either people or animals from one area to another. Look up in the trees, where you might see a Monarch butterfly make a stop on its migration to Mexico. Migration can be used for the journey from one place to another or for the act of movement. Thousands of mid-western farmers made the migration to California during the dust bowl. Demographers have noted the migration of young people to the big cities presumably for work. With animals, it’s almost always in reference to a seasonal change in location. On boat tours, you can see the whales during their annual migration down the West coast.

Example Sentences

The Swiss People’s Party put forward the referendum and framed it as a sustainability initiative, according to researchers at the Migration Policy Institute, an independent nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C.

From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026

Migration to the EU's most populous country was set to remain subdued due "to the clouded economic outlook and the federal government's shift in migration policy," the report said.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

Swing dance boomed during periods of hardship—the Great Migration, the Great Depression, World War II. And for good reason.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

Dr Mihnea Cuibus, a researcher at The Migration Observatory, said there were many barriers to effectively scaling up migrant removals from the detention centre.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

I flipped through the pages of The Complete Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Midweot Migration, looking for something special.

From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez

Related Words

• exodus
• flight
• journey
• movement
• shift
• transfer