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• diaspora
  diaspora

  noun

  Usually Diaspora. the scattering of the Jews from the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah following the dissolution of those kingdoms and Babylonian captivity.
• Diaspora
  Diaspora

diaspora

American  

[dahy-as-per-uh, dee-] / daɪˈæs pər ə, di- /

noun

• diasporas
  plural

1. Usually Diaspora. the scattering of the Jews from the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah following the dissolution of those kingdoms and Babylonian captivity.

2. Often Diaspora.

   1. the body of Jews living in countries outside Israel.

   2. such countries collectively.

      Passover is celebrated for seven days in Israel, but for eight days by Jews living in the Diaspora.

3. Often Diaspora. any group that has been dispersed outside its traditional homeland, especially involuntarily, as Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

4. any group migration or flight from a country or region.

   Synonyms:

   scattering, displacement, migration, dissemination, dispersion

   Antonyms:

   return

5. any religious group living as a minority among people of the prevailing religion.

6. the spread or dissemination of something originally confined to a local, homogeneous group, as a language or cultural institution.

   the diaspora of English as a global language.

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Diaspora British  

/ daɪˈæspərə /

noun

1. 1. the dispersion of the Jews after the Babylonian and Roman conquests of Palestine

   2. the Jewish communities outside Israel

   3. the Jews living outside Israel

   4. the extent of Jewish settlement outside Israel

2. (in the New Testament) the body of Christians living outside Palestine

3. (often not capital) a dispersion or spreading, as of people originally belonging to one nation or having a common culture

4. the descendants of Sub-Saharan African peoples living anywhere in the Western hemisphere

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Pop Culture

—“To the Diaspora”: A 1981 poem by African American poet Gwendolyn Brooks. — Diaspora: A 1997 science fiction novel by Australian author Greg Egan.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• diasporic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• diasporas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of diaspora

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Greek diasporá “scattering, dispersion”; see origin at dia-, spore

Explanation

A diaspora is a large group of people with a similar heritage or homeland who have since moved out to places all over the world. The term diaspora comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "to scatter about." And that's exactly what the people of a diaspora do — they scatter from their homeland to places across the globe, spreading their culture as they go. The Bible refers to the Diaspora of Jews exiled from Israel by the Babylonians. But the word is now also used more generally to describe any large migration of refugees, language, or culture.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diaspora Diaspora diasporas

For Korean diaspora fans, the show carried an even deeper cultural resonance.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

She and Zihan were among some 500 people - mostly Chinese diaspora - who piled into an auditorium recently in Singapore.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Bhagwat’s U.S. appearance aims to capitalize on Modi’s political ascension and popularity among the Indian diaspora, including the fast-growing, nearly 4.8 million population of Americans whom the Census Bureau identifies as ethnic Indian.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

At Urban Comfort Foods Kitchen, the customizable bowl restaurant is reimagined with African diaspora food.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Rumors spread like a diaspora of atoms in the knackery of the universe, always getting rendered into something else and something else.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

Available starting Sept. 18 at denimtears.com, Africa Diaspora Goods and select Dover Street Market locations and Comme des Garçons shops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

In the third volume of her Diaspora Quartet, Lee follows the Koh family from Australia to Korea to the United States as their paterfamilias John hews to his strong inner compass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Dr Erieka Bennett, who leads the Ghana-based Diaspora African Forum, told the BBC the vote had a personal meaning for the descendants of people who were enslaved, like her.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

Control over their access to Gaza rests with the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism, a little-known department initially designed to strengthen ties with, and protections for, Jews abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026

Their children were deeply involved and inspired by their parents’ mission to encourage self-reliance and uphold a sense of empowerment for people of the African Diaspora.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Excitement for the global soccer spectacle has progressively waned as countries with large diasporas in the city -- like Mexico and Egypt -- have been ejected.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

The move hits at the heart of Minnesota’s Somali-American community, one of the largest Somali diasporas in the country.

From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2025

She’s made waves with No Nazar, a DJ collective she co-founded that hosts parties across the country that highlight the music of the Caribbean and African diasporas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2024

It was these diasporas that would offer a foothold to the game in America.

From BBC ● May 29, 2024

Canada, home to one of the world's largest Ukrainian diasporas, is a vocal supporter of Kyiv.

From Reuters ● Sep. 17, 2023

Related Words

• exodus