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Which U.S. president established the country's first national wildlife refuge?

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refuge

American  

[ref-yooj] / ˈrɛf judʒ /

noun

• refuges
  plural

1. shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc..

   to take refuge from a storm.

   Synonyms:

   safety, security

2. a place of shelter, protection, or safety.

   Synonyms:

   stronghold, haven, sanctuary, retreat, asylum

3. anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.

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verb (used with object)

refuged, refuging

1. Archaic. to afford refuge to.

verb (used without object)

refuged, refuging

1. Archaic. to take refuge.

refuge British  

/ ˈrɛfjuːdʒ /

noun

1. shelter or protection, as from the weather or danger

2. any place, person, action, or thing that offers or appears to offer protection, help, or relief

   accused of incompetence, he took refuge in lying

3. another name for traffic island

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verb

1. archaic to take refuge or give refuge to

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• refuges
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of refuge

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin refugium, from refug(ere) “to turn and flee, run away” ( re- re- + fugere “to flee”; see fugitive) + -ium -ium

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Explanation

To take refuge is to find a safe place. You might take refuge under a bridge in a hail storm, or in a basement during a tornado. Refuge comes from a French word meaning "to flee," and, in most cases, a refuge is a place to flee to in order to get away from people or places that are unsafe. A refuge is a safe place, such as a building or even another country, as in "they sought refuge from the war by leaving their homeland," or it is a simple, personal place of comfort — like a friend's couch.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

refuge refuges refuged refuging

This supports the idea that the Iberian Peninsula, which includes present-day Spain and Portugal, served as an important refuge for prehistoric humans during some of the coldest conditions of the Ice Age.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

The two clergy agree that many locals view their respective communities as "a refuge" against life in an area with poverty rates far above the national average.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Many American readers know him as the guy who traveled to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu in February 2012 to retrieve Bo’s police chief, who had sought refuge there following a rift with Bo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

The National Trust of Jersey said the island was an "important refuge" for the red squirrel, where they were "fairly widespread, external".

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

It was a place you could take refuge, if you knew how to get in.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Mobile home parks in Carson are among the last refuges of affordable housing for many residents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Other such eastern refuges were established, and it looked for a time as if the problem of how to preserve America’s most despised animal had been found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Scientists say the discovery strengthens the idea that cemeteries can act as important refuges for biodiversity.

From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026

Tehran's many parks, usually green lungs in a metropolis often choked by pollution, have become refuges since the fighting began.

From Barron's ● Apr. 2, 2026

Noise and activity are the refuges of the bereaved and the guilty.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

“People are homeless, they have been refuged to the mountains.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2022

Harold said as clearly as I speak now, and he refuged himself on Hugh's sound shoulder, and stretched out, and lay all still.'

From Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling

There I refuged myself till the night came, beat upon by the waves till the breath was well-nigh battered out of my body.

From With Drake on the Spanish Main by Herbert Strang

Exults on hearing, from his man Will., that the lady has refuged herself at Hampstead.

From Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady — Volume 5 by Samuel Richardson

Harold said as clearly as I speak now, and he refuged himself on Hugh’s sound shoulder, and stretched out, and lay all still.’

From Rewards and Fairies by Rudyard Kipling

The long snug harbour of Mahon, which was in the days of canvas wings almost always filled with craft refuging, is now in this era of steam usually tenantless.

From The Recipe for Diamonds by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne

Debarred the healthier paths of life, man rushes for employment to the refuging muse; and rightly so, for he finds an employment ornamental and useful still.

From Fables of John Gay (Somewhat Altered) by John Gay

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Related Words

• asylum
• fortress
• haven
• hideaway
• hideout
• hiding place
• protection
• resort
• retreat
• sanctuary
• security
• shelter
• stronghold

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