migrate
[mahy-greyt]
- to go from one country, region, or place to another.
- to pass periodically from one region or climate to another, as certain birds, fishes, and animals: The birds migrate southward in the winter.
- to shift, as from one system, mode of operation, or enterprise to another.
- Physiology. (of a cell, tissue, etc.) to move from one region of the body to another, as in embryonic development.
- Chemistry.
- (of ions) to move toward an electrode during electrolysis.
- (of atoms within a molecule) to change position.
- (at British universities) to change or transfer from one college to another.
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Origin of migrate
1690–1700; < 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
Synonym study
1. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for migrate
Contemporary Examples
While politics tend to migrate toward the poles, humanity—and fiction, at its best—huddles in between.
Is it worth it to migrate to Las Vegas, which is said to be welcoming with open arms?
More regular, and committed market players, tend to migrate to the Erotic Review.
The Oldest Profession Evolves—How the Web Transformed ProstitutionGregory Gilderman
September 10, 2012
Voters who back Gingrich because they think he is a strong conservative might migrate to Santorum.
January and February are also prime months for spotting California gray whales off the coast as they migrate towards Baja.
Historical Examples
He appears to migrate westward daily, and tempt us to follow him.
Is it any wonder that people, when they have an opportunity, migrate to the city?
Rural Life and the Rural SchoolJoseph Kennedy
Perhaps they migrate to some distant region, where they spawn.
Tales of FishesZane Grey
The determination of the two families to migrate made some stir in the town.
The Boy SettlersNoah Brooks
It was September, and the instinct to flock and to migrate was at work among them.
Wood Folk at SchoolWilliam J. Long
migrate
- to go from one region, country, or place of abode to settle in another, esp in a foreign country
- (of birds, fishes, etc) to journey between different areas at specific times of the year
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Word Origin
C17: from Latin migrāre to change one's abode
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 migrate
v.
1690s, from Latin migratus, past participle of migrare "to move from one place to another" (see migration). Related: Migrated; migrating.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper