migrant

American  

[mahy-gruhnt] / ˈmaɪ grənt /

adjective

1. migrating, especially of people; migratory.

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noun

1. a person or animal that migrates.

2. a person who attempts to permanently relocate to a new country, but who may be subject to removal by the government of that country: unaccompanied child migrants.

   undocumented migrants;

   unaccompanied child migrants.

3. Also called migrant worker.  a person who moves from place to place to get work, especially a farm laborer who harvests crops seasonally.

migrant British  

/ ˈmaɪɡrənt /

noun

1. a person or animal that moves from one region, place, or country to another

2. an itinerant agricultural worker who travels from one district to another

3. 1. an immigrant, esp a recent one

   2. ( as modifier )

      a migrant hostel

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adjective

1. moving from one region, place, or country to another; migratory

Other Word Forms

• nonmigrant adjective
• unmigrant adjective

Etymology

Origin of migrant

1665–75; < Latin migrant- (stem of migrāns ), present participle of migrāre. See migrate, -ant

Explanation

A migrant worker is someone who travels for a job––in the U.S., many farm workers migrate from Mexico every year to work on the harvest and then return home when their jobs are over. If you have traveled into a new country, you are said to have immigrated there, and you are an immigrant. An emigrant is someone who has left. Migrant doesn't refer to whether you are coming in or out––often it means someone who often travels back and forth, like migrant birds who migrate south every winter, year after year.

Example Sentences

In scenes strikingly reminiscent of Covid-era lockdowns, the LPG supply hit seems to be prodding a return of some migrant workers from big cities such as Mumbai.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

In the 2023–24 school year, migrant students accounted for 2.7% of California’s homeless student population — double the national share among homeless students reported the previous year, according to the study.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

"Everyone is worried," said 29-year-old labourer Bunty Goswami, a migrant worker at a shut plant.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Over the past year, Iran has pre-positioned arms and ammunition for proxy cells in countries including Germany and Austria, as well as along migrant routes in the Balkans, several European and U.S. officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

As migrant Jose Rodas Orellana readies to board a train in Veracruz, a man emerges from his house.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Related Words

• emigrant
• evacuee
• expatriate
• immigrant
• traveler