boat people

plural noun

: refugees fleeing by boat

Examples of boat people in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These asylum seekers came to be known as Vietnamese boat people, a name that has come to be regarded as pejorative — the sort of dehumanizing language often used in indexing immigrants. Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 1 July 2024 His parents were among the 2 million Vietnamese boat people who after the war desperately sought to escape Vietnam to neighboring countries. Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 9 June 2024 Hello, boat people! George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2021 Then as the boat people escaped, peaking in 1978 and 1979, the temple grew, moving to their pagoda on Cherry Street. Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2022 See all Example Sentences for boat people 

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of boat people was in 1976

Dictionary Entries Near boat people

Cite this Entry

“Boat people.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boat%20people. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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