migration

[mahy-grey-shuhn]

noun

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.

migration

/ 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

migration

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of migration¹

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

Example Sentences

Slow economic growth, sticky levels of inflation and growing illegal migration, combined with a series of stumbles that have forced Starmer to fire key advisers and allies, have all sapped the prime minister’s political standing.

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Still, some hostility to immigrants persists and migration has risen up the list of Scottish voters' concerns as flags have appeared on lampposts around the country.

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Net migration in the UK - the difference between the numbers entering and leaving the country - stood at 690,100 in the year to June 2024.

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Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said he will raise the matter of anti-drone defences at a Saturday meeting of European interior ministers, which was originally billed as a migration summit.

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Nets along the east coast also routinely entangle humpback whales on their annual migration to and from the tropics.

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Related Words

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