refugee

American  

[ref-yoo-jee, ref-yoo-jee] / ˌrɛf yʊˈdʒi, ˈrɛf yʊˌdʒi /

noun

1. a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.

2. political refugee.

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refugee British  

/ ˌrɛfjʊˈdʒiː /

noun

1. 1. a person who has fled from some danger or problem, esp political persecution

      refugees from Rwanda

   2. ( as modifier )

      a refugee camp

      a refugee problem

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Other Word Forms

• prorefugee adjective
• refugeeism noun

Etymology

Origin of refugee

First recorded in 1675–85; from French réfugié “taken refuge,” past participle of réfugier “to take refuge”; equivalent to refuge + -ee

Example Sentences

Many of the Syrians in Germany came during the refugee crisis of 2015, when former Chancellor Angela Merkel made the decision not to close the borders to those fleeing the civil war.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Nearly a month into the Middle East war, Lebanon is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis that now risks teetering over into a catastrophe, the United Nations refugee agency warned Friday.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Fighting continued to consume the country when Bior’s family sent him to Uganda as a refugee, hoping to keep the 12-year-old boy safe and in school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Villahermosa lacks adequate services, with just one migrant shelter and no office of the federal agency that processes refugee applications.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

“I just remembered. There is a Mass Sunday at Saint Agnes for a dead refugee woman.”

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat

Related Words

• alien
• displaced person
• emigrant
• evacuee
• exile
• expatriate
• foreigner