refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē 
ˈre-fyu̇-ˌjē
: one that flees
especially
: a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution
Synonyms
Examples of refugee in a Sentence
Thousands of refugees have fled the area.
refugees began returning to their homeland after years of political unrest and war
Recent Examples on the Web
The nonprofit has seen more Spanish-speaking guests, including refugees from Venezuela.
—
Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024
Connecting over meals From dining alongside refugee neighbors to supporting in-house immigrant chefs, here are four U.S. opportunities to connect with other cultures—and, in some cases, each other—over meals.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
Opening Turkey up to millions of Syrian refugees had begun to hurt Mr. Erdoğan’s party at the polls.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2024
An annexation crisis in the West Bank could spur enormous refugee flows into Jordan that might destabilize the Hashemite kingdom for good.
—Rosemary Kelanic, TIME, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for refugee 
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Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024
Connecting over meals From dining alongside refugee neighbors to supporting in-house immigrant chefs, here are four U.S. opportunities to connect with other cultures—and, in some cases, each other—over meals.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
Opening Turkey up to millions of Syrian refugees had begun to hurt Mr. Erdoğan’s party at the polls.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2024
An annexation crisis in the West Bank could spur enormous refugee flows into Jordan that might destabilize the Hashemite kingdom for good.
—Rosemary Kelanic, TIME, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for refugee
Dictionary Entries Near refugee
Cite this Entry
“Refugee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refugee. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌref-yu̇-ˈjē
ˈref-yu̇-ˌjē
: a person who flees for safety especially to a foreign country
Etymology
from French réfugié, past participle of réfugier "to put in a place of safety," from Latin refugium "a refuge," from refugere "to run away from, escape," from re- "again, against" and fugere "to run away, flee" — related to centrifugal, fugitive
Legal Definition
refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē
: an individual seeking refuge or asylum
especially
: an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)
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