emigrant

American  

[em-i-gruhnt] / ˈɛm ɪ grənt /

noun

1. a person who emigrates, such as from their native country or region.

   They welcomed the emigrants from Italy.

   Synonyms:

   expatriate, émigré

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adjective

1. emigrating; leaving a country or region to settle in another.

emigrant British  

/ ˈɛmɪɡrənt /

noun

1. 1. a person who leaves one place or country, esp a native country, to settle in another Compare immigrant

   2. ( as modifier )

      an emigrant worker

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Usage

What does emigrant mean? An emigrant is a person who has emigrated or is emigrating—permanently leaving home in one country or region to settle in another. The act or occurrence of emigrating is called emigration. What’s the difference between emigrant, immigrant, and migrant?A migrant is a person who moves from one place to another (and perhaps back and forth). An emigrant is someone who moves away, while an immigrant is someone who moves in. For this reason, the word emigrant is often followed by from and the home country, whereas immigrant is often followed by to and the destination country. Of course, emigrant and immigrant often refer to the same person—people who are emigrating are also immigrating (if they leave, they have to go somewhere). But there are good reasons to use each word in different situations. For example, one country may be a common destination for immigrants, while another may experience the frequent departure of emigrants. The words migrant and immigrant are more likely to be used to describe such relocation in a general way (that is, a way that takes both the starting point and the destination into account), whereas emigrant is almost always used in reference to the place that has been left. Less commonly, emigrant can be used as an adjective to mean in the process of emigrating, as in emigrant peoples. Another word for an emigrant is émigré, which especially refers to an emigrant who has fled their country due to political conditions. Example: The lack of employment has caused a significant number of emigrants  to leave the country in search of jobs.

Other Word Forms

• nonemigrant noun
• unemigrant adjective

Etymology

Origin of emigrant

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; from Latin ēmigrant- (stem of ēmigrāns ) “moving away” (present participle of ēmigrāre ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” + migrant- ( migr-, stem of migrāre “to remove” + -ant- adjective suffix); e- ¹, -ant )

Explanation

An emigrant is a person who leaves his or her home country to live permanently in another country. Many Irish emigrants came to the United States in the late 1800s. The Latin root of emigrant is emigrationem, which means "removal from a place." Don't confuse emigrant with immigrant, which tells about the person's status in the new country. When you leave your native land, you are an emigrant, and when you are already settled in a new country, you are an immigrant. It's a subtle difference, but with an emigrant, the focus is more on the home country.

Example Sentences

McCoy, 45, has since relocated to Romania and works as a consultant helping other Americans with more limited means join the emigrant wave.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

His wife Heidi Goodwin and her family have been Nature Friends regulars since the early 1960s, when their German emigrant father Benno Werstein joined.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025

I’m a Russian emigrant journalist and former political activist.

From Slate • Oct. 18, 2025

Bestselling author Joseph O'Connor has written extensively about the Irish emigrant experience.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2023

I minded that the emigrant villagers shook their heads at my sister and me.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

Related Words

• alien
• colonist
• displaced person
• evacuee
• expatriate
• migrant
• pilgrim
• refugee
• traveler