immigrate

[ im-i-greyt ]

/ ˈɪm ɪˌgreɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR immigrate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), im·mi·grat·ed, im·mi·grat·ing.

to come to a country of which one is not a native, usually for permanent residence.

to pass or come into a new habitat or place, as an organism.

verb (used with object), im·mi·grat·ed, im·mi·grat·ing.

to introduce as settlers: to immigrate cheap labor.

RELATED WORDS

migrate, arrive, colonize, settle

Nearby words

Origin of immigrate

First recorded in 1615–25, immigrate is from the Latin word immigrātus (past participle of immigrāre to move into). See im-¹, migrate

Related formsim·mi·gra·tor, nounun·im·mi·grat·ing, adjective

Can be confusedemigrate immigrate migrate (see synonym study at migrate)

Synonym study

1. See migrate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for immigrate

It was easier for my family to leave the Soviet Union and immigrate to Canada!
Immigration Laws Have It All Backward|Ilya Shapiro|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scores of Chinese in Guangdong province began to immigrate to California through the Port of San Francisco.
‘The Search for General Tso’: The Origins of America’s Favorite Chinese Dish, General Tso’s Chicken|Marlow Stern|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many others have endured huge obstacles and lengthy waits to immigrate legally.
Can Jeb Bush Save the GOP and End Its Emerging Civil War?|John Avlon|March 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They may change when we get married, immigrate to another country, or convert to another religion.
The Nameless Palestinian Prisoners|Laila Lalami|October 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Nadine for her part is gathering the necessary paperwork to immigrate to New York, where her grandmother lives.
After the Earthquake: Looming AIDS Crisis in Haiti|Lisa Armstrong|November 29, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Is it for these things I give up wife, and patrie, and immigrate myself out of dear France?
Mike Flannery On Duty and Off|Ellis Parker Butler
I should not want "the flower" of other nations to immigrate to our shores.
The Young Man and the World|Albert J. Beveridge
The desire to immigrate, stimulated by the transportation companies, spread like a fever.
Our Foreigners|Samuel P. Orth
If island formed continent, some species would emerge and immigrate.
The Foundations of the Origin of Species|Charles Darwin
The real Portuguese immigrate in families and show very little money on landing.
The Old World in the New|Edward Alsworth Ross

British Dictionary definitions for immigrate

immigrate

/ (ˈɪmɪˌɡreɪt) /

verb

(intr) to come to a place or country of which one is not a native in order to settle thereCompare emigrate

(intr) (of an animal or plant) to migrate to a new geographical area

(tr) to introduce or bring in as an immigrant

Derived Formsimmigratory, adjectiveimmigrator, noun

Word Origin for immigrate

C17: from Latin immigrāre to go into, from im- + migrāre to move

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for immigrate

immigrate

1620s, from Latin immigratum, past participle of imigrare "to remove, go into, move in," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + migrare "to move" (see migration). Related: Immigrated; immigrating.