migrate

American  

[mahy-greyt] / ˈmaɪ greɪt /

verb (used without object)

migrated, migrating

1. to go from one country, region, or place to another.

   Synonyms:

   relocate, move

   Antonyms:

   stay, remain

2. to pass periodically from one region or climate to another, as certain birds, fishes, and animals.

   The birds migrate southward in the winter.

3. to shift, as from one system, mode of operation, or enterprise to another.

4. Physiology. (of a cell, tissue, etc.) to move from one region of the body to another, as in embryonic development.

5. Chemistry.

   1. (of ions) to move toward an electrode during electrolysis.

   2. (of atoms within a molecule) to change position.

6. (at British universities) to change or transfer from one college to another.

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migrate British  

/ maɪˈɡreɪt /

verb

1. to go from one region, country, or place of abode to settle in another, esp in a foreign country

2. (of birds, fishes, etc) to journey between different areas at specific times of the year

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Related Words

Migrate, emigrate, immigrate are used of changing one's abode from one country or part of a country to another. To migrate is to make such a move either once or repeatedly: to migrate from Ireland to the United States. To emigrate is to leave a country, usually one's own (and take up residence in another): Each year many people emigrate from Europe. To immigrate is to enter and settle in a country not one's own: There are many inducements to immigrate to South America. Migrate is applied both to people or to animals that move from one region to another, especially periodically; the other terms are generally applied to movements of people.

Other Word Forms

• intermigrate
  verb (used without object)
• migrator
  noun
• nonmigrating
  adjective
• remigrate
  verb (used without object)
• unmigrating
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of migrate

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin migrātus (past participle of migrāre “to move from place to place, change position or abode”), equivalent to migrā- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

To migrate means to move from one place to another, sometimes part of a back-and-forth pattern, and sometimes to stay. When we think of the word migrate we think of movement from place to place. Sometimes that movement is seasonal, as when birds migrate north in summer and south in winter. But sometimes a person or group will migrate from one place to another with the intention of settling there. In both cases, there is a definite shift in locales, one temporary, the other permanent.

Example Sentences

They could even open the door to the possibility that people could help the plants migrate by inoculating certain areas with specific types of mycorrhizal fungi, Egan said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

By the time the juveniles migrate in August or September, the location is imprinted on their memory so, when they are ready to breed, usually after two or three years, they will return.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Many species also migrate seasonally to stay within favorable temperature ranges.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

And as Japanese pitchers migrate to the majors in droves, they bring along the splitter like a piece of carry-on.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

I want to be going away with Brian, like on a plane to the Serengeti to watch the blue wildebeests migrate.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

Related Words

• drift
• emigrate
• immigrate
• roam
• shift
• trek
• wander