immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈi-mə-ˌgrāt 

immigrated; immigrating

intransitive verb

: to enter and usually become established

especially : to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence

transitive verb

: to bring in or send as immigrants

Examples of immigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gazing at the lavish Italian-style gardens and intricate topiaries of the pope’s vast summer estate just outside of Rome, a local priest who immigrated to Waukegan from Mexico as a child marveled that he’s been entrusted with their care. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025

Sergey Brin The 52-year-old Google cofounder, born in Moscow in 1973, immigrated to the United States with his family at age 6 to escape Soviet anti-Semitism. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025

Marino said Guamarrigra immigrated to the US from Ecuador but was uncertain how long ago. —Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025

In 1991, Nadeem Bajwa immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. —Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin immigratus, past participle of immigrare to remove, go in, from in- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for immigrate

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

Kids Definition

immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈim-ə-ˌgrāt 

immigrated; immigrating

: to come into a foreign country to live

immigration

ˌim-ə-ˈgrā-shən 

noun