immigrant

American  

[im-i-gruhnt] / ˈɪm ɪ grənt /

noun

• immigrants
  plural

1. 

   a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence.

2. an organism found in a new habitat.

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adjective

1. of or relating to immigrants and immigration.

   a department for immigrant affairs.

2. immigrating.

immigrant British  

/ ˈɪmɪɡrənt /

noun

1. 1. a person who comes to a country in order to settle there Compare emigrant

   2. ( as modifier )

      an immigrant community

2. an animal or plant that lives or grows in a region to which it has recently migrated

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonimmigrant
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• immigrants
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of immigrant

An Americanism first recorded in 1780–90; from Latin immigrant-, stem of immigrāns “moving into,” present participle of immigrāre “to move into”; equivalent to im- ¹ + migrant

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Explanation

The United States is a country of immigrants — people who come to one country from another country, in hopes of having a better life. An inscription on the base of the Statue of Liberty welcomes new immigrants: "Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." Don't confuse the words immigrant and emigrant. If you come to a country, you are an immigrant and you emigrate from somewhere else. Ireland has many emigrants to America; America has many immigrants from Ireland. If your parents were immigrants to the United States, but you were born here, you are a citizen automatically.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

immigrant immigrants

“Talking with large shell contractors, large builders, I don’t think they fully anticipated or estimated the amount of immigrant labor that are on our job sites every day,” said Brannock, the Jacksonville builder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

“I have made it clear that I would seek a chief who can keep Angelenos safe and restore trust with our immigrant communities.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Like many immigrant communities, such as Irish and Italians in the early 20th century, the second generation is doing much better economically than their parents.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

Another protester, a 32-year-old Kosovar immigrant who gave his name as Kobe, said his own experience of war made him want to "stand up today and not let history repeat" itself.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

But he is certain that it is much tougher for an immigrant to get ahead today than fifty years ago.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Part of the American dream is being able to move beyond working that 60-hour week that so many recent immigrants have to put in to survive.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

Soviet Jewish immigrants arrived in large numbers during the 1990s, while affordable housing later attracted growing numbers of ultra-Orthodox families.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

More than 65,000 immigrants were detained nationwide as of July, according to TRAC, a data gathering and research organization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

Bagayoko, the son of immigrants from Mali, is considered a rising star in France Unbowed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

But since almost all jobs in factories like Swift & Company were handed out to immigrants, most blacks did not consider a move north to be worthwhile.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

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