emigrate

verb

em·​i·​grate ˈe-mə-ˌgrāt 

emigrated; emigrating

intransitive verb

: to leave one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere

emigrated from Canada to the United States

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an emigrant and an immigrant?

Immigrant and emigrant both refer to a person leaving their own country for another. However, immigrant (and its verb form immigrate) typically stresses the country someone is going to, while emigrant (and its verb emigrate) stresses the country someone is coming from. One is an immigrant to a new country, and an emigrant from an old one. See here for more on the difference between emigrant and immigrant.

Is emigrant a noun or a verb?

Emigrant is a noun, meaning "one who leaves one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere." It is synonymous with émigré, a word that is especially used of a person who has left for political reasons. The verb form of the word is emigrate.

Does emigrant imply illegality?

Both emigrant and immigrant refer to a person who has moved from one country to another, usually in permanent or semi-permanent fashion. Neither word by itself has any connotations of illegality.

Examples of emigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To Strip Elon Musk Of Citizenship Gets 250,000 Signatures More Than 20 Staffers Quit Musk's DOGE, Rebuke Trump Admin Government Cuts Musk was born in South Africa and lived there for nearly two decades before emigrating to Canada alongside his family. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025

Listen to this article DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — As Rabbi Yusuf Hamra and his son Henry were visiting Damascus last week for the first time since emigrating from Syria to the United States more than three decades ago, they were met by former neighbors offering embraces and gossip. —Abby Sewell, Sun Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2025

Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist stars Adrien Brody as a fictional architect emigrating from Hungary to America in the wake of WWII, with Jones, 41, as his wife Erzsébet following behind years later. —Jack Smart, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025

The original Mark the Tailor was established in 1960 by David Mark, a Romanian Jew who survived the Holocaust and later emigrated to Boston to find work as a tailor. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin emigratus, past participle of emigrare, from e- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emigrate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

emigrate

verb

em·​i·​grate ˈem-ə-ˌgrāt 

emigrated; emigrating

: to leave a country or region to live elsewhere

emigration

ˌem-ə-ˈgrā-shən 

noun