expatriate

[ verb eks-pey-tree-eytor, especially British, -pa-tree-; adjective noun eks-pey-tree-it, -eytor, especially British, -pa-tree- ]

verb (used with object)

, ex·pa·tri·at·ed, ex·pa·tri·at·ing.

1. to banish (a person) from their native country.
2. to withdraw (oneself ) from residence in one's native country.
3. to withdraw (oneself ) from allegiance to one's country.

verb (used without object)

, ex·pa·tri·at·ed, ex·pa·tri·at·ing.

1. to become an expatriate:

   He expatriated from his homeland.

adjective

1. expatriated; exiled.

noun

1. an expatriated person:

   Many American writers were living as expatriates in Paris.

expatriate

adjective

1. resident in a foreign country
2. exiled or banished from one's native country

   an expatriate American

noun

1. a person who lives in a foreign country
2. an exile; expatriate person

verb

1. to exile (oneself) from one's native country or cause (another) to go into exile
2. to deprive (oneself or another) of citizenship

Derived Forms

• exˌpatriˈation, noun

Other Words From

• ex·patri·ation noun
• self-ex·patri·ation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of expatriate¹

First recorded in 1760–70; from Medieval Latin expatriātus (past participle of expatriāre “to banish”), equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + patri(a) “native land” + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of expatriate¹

C18: from Medieval Latin expatriāre, from Latin ex- ¹+ patria native land

Example Sentences

What I was experiencing, though I didn’t know it, was reverse culture shock, a situation in which expatriates returning to their home country struggle to readjust.

From MIT Technology Review

Lee Kyusung, a bar owner from Seoul in South Korea, said he saw less of his expatriate customers, who made up at least 40% of his usual crowd.

From Time

On a planet on the move, whether you’re slotted as a refugee, migrant, expatriate, or tourist, can mean, literally, the difference between life and death.

From Time

This incident was the reason that the UN ordered the withdrawal of its expatriate staff in Kandahar on March 23 1998 and suspended its humanitarian activities in the south of the country.

From Time

China secured Interpol red notices, which are alerts that a country has requested arrest and extradition, for expatriates around the world.

From ProPublica

Yet for all his enthusiasm for the American film industry, he remained forever an expatriate.

From The Daily Beast

Alex Aciman on two new memoirs of life in Greece and Italy and the tricks that expatriate life can play.

From The Daily Beast

The stories of girls overseas have not often been part of the canon of American expatriate writing, Kaplan points out.

From The Daily Beast

To this recently returned expatriate, the latter sounds rather like magical thinking.

From The Daily Beast

The longtime expatriate who came to think of Indonesia as her home raised a steadfast American patriot.

From The Daily Beast

I have no patience with those people who expatriate themselves.

From Project Gutenberg

But it would also have had the determination that he had failed to expatriate himself and that he was an American citizen.

From Project Gutenberg

Then he prevailed upon the clans to sign a truce and expatriate their chiefs for one year in distant States.

From Project Gutenberg

There remained the resource of travel, one of those journeys to countries so distant that they expatriate even the thoughts.

From Project Gutenberg

Was he supposed to wait patiently until she returned, or to expatriate himself in order to join her?

From Project Gutenberg

More About Expatriate

What does expatriate mean?

An expatriate is a person who has moved from their native country to another country permanently or for an extended period of time.

The word expatriate can refer to people who have been forced to live in another country (such as due to having been exiled or banished), but it most commonly refers to people who have chosen to relocate to work in the new country or to retire there. Expatriates may or may not become citizens of the countries they move to, and they may or may not retain their original citizenship.

If the word expatriate sounds like it has just about the same meaning as the word immigrant, that’s because it does. But expatriate is used much more narrowly. It can imply (or is at least associated with) a certain amount of wealth and privilege—things not implied by or associated with the word immigrant. The word expatriate is especially applied to Westerners and used by them to refer to themselves. A common and informal short form is expat. The act or process of becoming an expatriate is called expatriation.

The word expatriate is commonly preceded by the person’s original nationality, as in an American expatriate in Paris. 

Expatriate can also be used as a verb meaning to withdraw one’s residence in or allegiance to their native country, or to banish a citizen. When expatriate is used as a verb, the last syllable is pronounced like ate [ eyt ].

Expatriate can also be used as an adjective describing a person who has become an expatriate or a person who has been exiled.

Example: The city has such a large community of British expatriates that there are multiple pubs that serve as popular social spots for them.

Where does expatriate come from?

The first records of the word expatriate come from the 1760s. It comes from the Latin expatriāre, meaning “to banish,” from ex-, “out of,” and patria, “native land.”

People referred to as expatriates may be in exile, but the word more commonly refers to those who have relocated for voluntary reasons, such as to work in the country or because they simply enjoy what it’s like to live there. Expatriates—who often call themselves expats—are known for forming communities in the countries where they move to with other expatriates from the same native country. Of course, many of these same things can be said about people called immigrants.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to expatriate?

• expat (short form, noun)
• expatriation (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with expatriate? 

 

• repatriate
• patriate
• patriot

What are some words that often get used in discussing expatriate?

• community
• immigrate
• move
• native
• country
• citizen
• abroad

How is expatriate used in real life?

The term expatriate is especially associated with Westerners. It’s commonly preceded with an adjective identifying the original nationality of the person.

American expatriates and political junkies crowded venues across Canada on Tuesday to watch the incoming results of the crucial U.S. midterm congressional elections #ElectionNight #Midterms2018https://t.co/8DquQDock8

— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) November 7, 2018

#Brexit leaves thousands of British expatriates in Switzerland in limbo https://t.co/b3dnHFoANq

— Pedro Nicolaci da Costa (@pdacosta) December 12, 2016

Bangladeshi expatriates in the US have remitted $343.5 million in July, the first month of the fiscal year, more than double the amount they sent a year earlier https://t.co/zqAVLpujnn

— Awami League (@albd1971) August 18, 2020

 

 

Try using expatriate!

True or False?

An expatriate is always someone who has renounced or has lost their citizenship in their native country.