immigrant

American  

[im-i-gruhnt] / ˈɪm ɪ grənt /

noun

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

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

To everyone else, the crowd is the point: the immigrant kid, the muddy field, the strangers who become one thing for 90 minutes.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

Zidane, a second-generation Algerian immigrant raised in the concrete high rises of northern Marseille, was the talisman and face of a multi-cultural Les Bleus team that finally delivered the globe's biggest footballing prize.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

A city council member, she is an Indian immigrant and urban planner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Coakley also noted that the Knicks offer a sense of belonging for New York's vast immigrant population, as they join other residents to back the team.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

The building is a wonderful brick structure, over a hundred years old, and the bakery is still run by the descendants of George Leidenheimer, an immigrant from Germany.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers