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

Yet to keep our lead in the technological revolution, America still needs scientific, entrepreneurial and technological immigrant talent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

In California, a court-appointed medical monitor issued a report last month finding that the state’s largest immigrant detention center repeatedly has delayed assessments, treatment and administration of medication for detainees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Over the weekend, a Salvadoran immigrant being held at the notorious Delaney Hall detention center in New Jersey died after experiencing a medical emergency, the second death the facility has seen since December.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Founded by Taiwanese immigrant Roger Chen in Westminster in 1984, it’s now the largest Asian supermarket chain in the country.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

The immigrant Handel, a naturalised British citizen from 1727, demonstrated more successfully than any other composer before the nineteenth century how music could become the collective voice of nationhood.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Last year, Grassley introduced a bill to guarantee that it would no longer be used by immigrants seeking to adjust their legal status.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Immigration attorneys and other advocates quickly convened Thursday to determine how the ruling will affect immigrants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Haitian immigrants have been reporting to the ICE office in this Cincinnati suburb since.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

The Dominican Republic’s policies on Haitian immigrants and refugees are significantly tougher than those of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Many of the children’s games in the U.S. originated from Europe, and immigrants carried their ancestral heritage through songs and games, which in turn influenced childhood in the U.S.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin