Trivia Time

Which insect is associated with migration?

Test Your Knowledge

migration

American  

[mahy-gray-shuhn] / maɪˈgreɪ ʃən /

noun

• migrations
  plural

1. 

   the process or act of migrating.

2. a migratory movement.

   preparations for the migration.

3. a number or body of persons or animals migrating together.

4. Chemistry. a movement or change of position of atoms within a molecule.

5. Physics. diffusion.

---

migration British  

/ maɪˈɡreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of migrating

2. a group of people, birds, etc, migrating in a body

3. chem a movement of atoms, ions, or molecules, such as the motion of ions in solution under the influence of electric fields

---

migration Scientific  

/ mī-grā′shən /

1. 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.

2. The movement of one atom or more, or of a double bond, from one position to another within a molecule.

3. The movement of ions between electrodes during electrolysis.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonmigration
  noun
• remigration
  noun
• migrational
  adjective
• premigration
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• migrations
  plural

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

migration migrations

The discovery of Invictibellatrix provides the evidence researchers needed to support that proposed migration route.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

It has prompted hundreds of people to gather at refugee reception centres, fuelling anger among anti-immigration campaigners who fear the decision will encourage undocumented migration.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

He frames his deeply researched four-hour psych eval “Musk” as the reality check we all need when the world’s richest, most cult-powerful human keeps pushing migration to Mars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Or to precede: Had it never taken place, the vast internal migration ignited by the California Gold Rush would have remained the single most interesting event in 19th-century America.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Mexica histories begin by relating their migration to the Basin of Mexico.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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

The story was simpler than anyone was expecting: Europe was settled in just three massive migrations from the east.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026

For weeks, geese had been stopping by on their migrations.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• exodus
• flight
• journey
• movement
• shift
• transfer

---