immigration
Americannoun
-
the movement of non-native people into a country in order to settle there
-
the part of a port, airport, etc where government employees examine the passports, visas, etc of foreign nationals entering the country
Other Word Forms
- anti-immigration adjective
- immigrational adjective
- immigratory adjective
- nonimmigration noun
- preimmigration noun
- proimmigration adjective
Etymology
Origin of immigration
Explanation
Immigration is the process of moving to a new country to stay. New York's Ellis Island was considered a gateway for European immigration to the United States during the early 1900's. Nowadays, people immigrate through airports instead of islands. The word migration is in immigration, which is something we think of birds doing when they fly South for the winter. It's not an accident — if American birds had little passports, they'd have to go through immigration when they got to Mexico. When humans immigrate, they have to follow the rules of the new country or else they risk getting in trouble. Immigration is the act of going to a new country, while emigration refers to the process of leaving one.
Vocabulary lists containing immigration
Human Geography - Middle School
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The United States
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Human Geography - High School
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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.
Velasquez, 63 years old, said she doesn’t always agree with Leo—she sent him “snappy” replies on X over his immigration stance—but added that she can’t tolerate personal attacks on him.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
An 86-year-old French woman who was detained at an immigration enforcement centre in the US has returned to France, the country's foreign minister says.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Villegas had been scheduled to go before an immigration judge on April 24, on a motion to terminate removal proceedings against him.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
On Thursday, Minnesota state prosecutors announced a historic set of charges against a federal immigration agent.
From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026
After my mother was arrested in the sweatshop immigration raid, a prison doctor had given her a shot of a drug to keep her calm overnight; That shot, my mother believed, caused Caroline’s condition.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
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.
