immigrant
Americannoun
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a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence.
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an organism found in a new habitat.
adjective
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of or relating to immigrants and immigration.
a department for immigrant affairs.
noun
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a person who comes to a country in order to settle there Compare emigrant
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( as modifier )
an immigrant community
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an animal or plant that lives or grows in a region to which it has recently migrated
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing immigrant
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Africa - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Instead, these proposals were made by our own governor in a state that claims to value immigrant communities. We know California is better than this.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
As an immigrant from Sri Lanka, I know how great this country is.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
“You know, I had to make my immigrant father rub his temples even harder.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Ramos is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras who was brought to the US as a child.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
The blocks surrounding us were home to Jewish families, immigrant families, white and black families, folks who were thriving and some who were not.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
