migration
American
noun
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the act or an instance of migrating
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a group of people, birds, etc, migrating in a body
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chem a movement of atoms, ions, or molecules, such as the motion of ions in solution under the influence of electric fields
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The seasonal movement of a complete population of animals from one area to another. Migration is usually a response to changes in temperature, food supply, or the amount of daylight, and is often undertaken for the purpose of breeding. Mammals, insects, fish, and birds all migrate. The precise mechanism of navigation during migration is not fully understood, although for birds it is believed that sharp eyesight, sensibility to the Earth's magnetic field, and the positions of the Sun and other stars may play a role.
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The movement of one atom or more, or of a double bond, from one position to another within a molecule.
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The movement of ions between electrodes during electrolysis.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of migration
First recorded in 1605–15, migration is from the Latin word migrātīon- (stem of migrātiō ). See migrate, -ion
Explanation
Migration is the movement of either people or animals from one area to another. Look up in the trees, where you might see a Monarch butterfly make a stop on its migration to Mexico. Migration can be used for the journey from one place to another or for the act of movement. Thousands of mid-western farmers made the migration to California during the dust bowl. Demographers have noted the migration of young people to the big cities presumably for work. With animals, it’s almost always in reference to a seasonal change in location. On boat tours, you can see the whales during their annual migration down the West coast.
Vocabulary lists containing migration
Words of a Feather: Unflappable Avian Vocabulary
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Human Geography - Middle School
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
The birds' seasonal migration may become increasingly difficult as changes in climate may force them to move to higher elevations on hills, to smaller and fragmented areas.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Their migration has long fascinated scientists, who have puzzled over how they found their way on a journey they only ever make once.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Prices initially shot up more in Sun Belt areas during the pandemic owing to a demand shock from population migration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Since the 1930s, England has been the major focus for Irish migration, with big waves during the 1940s to the 1950s and the Irish recession of the 1980s.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The window of migration had closed for Frightful.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Over time, those migrations produced the major bat lineages found around the world today.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Painted ladies undertake one of the world's most remarkable insect migrations, travelling from Africa to the UK over several generations, crossing the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Critics fear deep-sea mining will cause irreversible damage, smothering marine life in plumes of waste and disrupting oceanic migrations with the thrum of heavy machinery.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Since the indexes are weighted by market cap, migrations prevent large companies from dramatically skewing the performance of indexes meant for smaller companies.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
Pena had become interested while abroad in using genetics as a historical tool—studying family trees and migrations by examining DNA.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
