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

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

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

Hawala transfers are frequently used for legitimate purposes, such as immigrant workers sending funds home to support their families in countries with limited access to banks.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

"I personally will say he was everything for us, especially being an immigrant," Biteya Terfassa, an Oslo resident who was born in Ethiopia, told news agency Reuters outside the palace.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Early editions of “The Settlement Cook Book” included chop suey and Spaghetti Italienne, but most of its foreign dishes were either German or German-Jewish, reflecting the largest immigrant groups in Milwaukee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Starting in January, another law will require independent medical investigations into deaths in law enforcement custody, including in immigrant detention facilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Political scientists are divided over whether the twenty- five million people of Mexican ancestry in the United States represent an exception to the classic immigrant success story.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

The country was always a nation of immigrants and, according to Wood, a widespread concern at the time was that forming a national identity could be difficult.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

The grocer was founded in 1966 by Japanese immigrants Michio and Aveline Kushi — pioneers of the natural-foods macrobiotic movement who began selling imported organic goods out of their Boston home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

They encouraged her to participate in the progressive causes of the era, most importantly helping the thousands of Eastern European immigrants then crowding into the Midwest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The settlement affirmed that immigrants who perform work while detained are considered employees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Joy tells me that Emma Lazarus came from a Jewish family, and that her ancestors were immigrants from many places, and they too lost countries more than once, like in my family.

From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar