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

This year’s edition comes from a pair of curatorial heavy-hitters: O’Neil Lawrence, the chief curator of the National Gallery of Jamaica, and Ashley James, the Guggenheim’s first Black full-time curator, whose parents emigrated from Jamaica to New York in the 1970s. —Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 23 Jan. 2025

Maribel – who joined the lawsuit under a pseudonym along with four other women – has lived in the United States for more than half her life after emigrating from El Salvador and Guatemala. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2025

When Italy sided with Germany in the war, Loeb’s family emigrated again to Cuba and finally the U.S. Loeb became a citizen and was drafted. —David Moin, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025

Arden’s family emigrated from Turkey and has been big on giving back to the community. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

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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