immigrate

American  

[im-i-grayt] / ˈɪm ɪˌgreɪt /

verb (used without object)

• immigrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• immigrated,
  past participle,  past
• immigrating
  present participle

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

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

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verb (used with object)

• immigrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• immigrated,
  past participle,  past
• immigrating
  present participle

1. to introduce as settlers.

   to immigrate cheap labor.

immigrate British  

/ ˈɪmɪˌɡreɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to come to a place or country of which one is not a native in order to settle there Compare emigrate

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

3. (tr) to introduce or bring in as an immigrant

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Synonym Usage

See migrate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• immigrator
  noun
• immigratory
  adjective
• unimmigrating
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• immigrating
  present
• immigrated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• immigrate
  simple
• immigrates
  simple
• have immigrated
  perfect
• has immigrated
  perfect
• am immigrating
  progressive
• are immigrating
  progressive
• is immigrating
  progressive
• have been immigrating
  perfect progressive
• has been immigrating
  perfect progressive

Past

• immigrated
  simple
• had immigrated
  perfect
• was immigrating
  progressive
• were immigrating
  progressive
• had been immigrating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will immigrate
  simple
• will have immigrated
  perfect
• will be immigrating
  progressive
• will have been immigrating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of immigrate

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin immigrātus (past participle of immigrāre “to move into”); see im- ¹, migrate

Explanation

When a person immigrates, he or she moves to a new country. During the great wave of immigration between 1880 and 1924, over 25 million Europeans immigrated to the United States. Many immigrants make significant contributions to their adopted countries. Consider Albert Einstein, the greatest physicist of the twentieth century, who immigrated to America from Germany, or the Russian-born New Yorker Irving Berlin, who wrote some of the most popular songs in the American songbook, including “White Christmas” and “God Bless America." The word immigrate comes from the Latin imigrare, which means “to move in.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

immigrate immigrates immigrated immigrating

Back in Maine, Abdi said his brother Hassan, who couldn't immigrate to the US because of visa restrictions, instead recently became a citizen of Canada.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

All of the Afghans airlifted by the U.S. to Camp As Sayliyah underwent initial security screenings and background checks for preapproval to immigrate to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

But lawyers told Barron’s that most of their wealthy foreign clients who want to immigrate aren’t applying for the Gold Card—they’re pursuing other options.

From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026

“But if I’m a family of four and I want to immigrate to the U.S., that’s $4 million, so that gets a little pricey,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 7, 2025

My mother was six months’ pregnant when she decided that she would have to be the one to immigrate to the United States with my brothers because my dad was constantly being watched.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

A Central or South American who immigrates to the U.S. could see their greenhouse gas emissions double or triple, just by becoming part of the U.S. economy.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023

Cruz drew critical acclaim with her previous novel “Dominicana,” a finalist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and a coming-of-age story centered around a Dominican teenage bride who immigrates to New York.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 11, 2022

Beauty and the Beast is about an Asian family that immigrates to France and they're trying to make a business, even though there's quite a bit of racism against them there.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2021

Her history is a hard one — she immigrates to New York from rural China penniless and pregnant, then works her way up to a job at an exploitative nail salon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2017

A person emigrates from the land he leaves, and immigrates to the land where he takes up his abode.

From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by James Champlin Fernald

Mullin said federal officials are investigating her past marriage as well as how her family immigrated to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

I was 22, about the age Suvorova’s mother was when they immigrated to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

She was born in Seoul and immigrated to California when she was 15 months old.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

One academic who immigrated to the United States said junk mail from the retailer helped convince her that she’d really become an American.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026

For some it might be hard to tell which lines were there from birth and which ones immigrated from countless jobs.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na

It was trying to unravel years of sacrifice that the couple had made since immigrating to the United States from El Salvador.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

After immigrating to America, my dad was so grateful to be American he enlisted in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

The family changed their last name after immigrating to the U.S. in 1933.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

Her parents ran a flower shop after immigrating from South Korea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

We are a family—not perfect, not all the same, some rich, some poor, all kinds of religions and skin colors, some born in America and some immigrating here.

From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• arrive
• migrate