emigrant
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Usage
What does emigrant mean? An emigrant is a person who has emigrated or is emigrating—permanently leaving home in one country or region to settle in another.The act or occurrence of emigrating is called emigration.What’s the difference between emigrant, immigrant, and migrant?A migrant is a person who moves from one place to another (and perhaps back and forth). An emigrant is someone who moves away, while an immigrant is someone who moves in. For this reason, the word emigrant is often followed by from and the home country, whereas immigrant is often followed by to and the destination country.Of course, emigrant and immigrant often refer to the same person—people who are emigrating are also immigrating (if they leave, they have to go somewhere).But there are good reasons to use each word in different situations. For example, one country may be a common destination for immigrants, while another may experience the frequent departure of emigrants.The words migrant and immigrant are more likely to be used to describe such relocation in a general way (that is, a way that takes both the starting point and the destination into account), whereas emigrant is almost always used in reference to the place that has been left.Less commonly, emigrant can be used as an adjective to mean in the process of emigrating, as in emigrant peoples. Another word for an emigrant is émigré, which especially refers to an emigrant who has fled their country due to political conditions.Example: The lack of employment has caused a significant number of emigrants to leave the country in search of jobs.
Other Word Forms
- nonemigrant noun
- unemigrant adjective
Etymology
Origin of emigrant
An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; from Latin ēmigrant- (stem of ēmigrāns ) “moving away” (present participle of ēmigrāre ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” + migrant- ( migr-, stem of migrāre “to remove” + -ant- adjective suffix); e- 1, -ant )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
McCoy, 45, has since relocated to Romania and works as a consultant helping other Americans with more limited means join the emigrant wave.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
His wife Heidi Goodwin and her family have been Nature Friends regulars since the early 1960s, when their German emigrant father Benno Werstein joined.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025
I’m a Russian emigrant journalist and former political activist.
From Slate • Oct. 18, 2025
Myanmar has a lower percentage of Muslims in its population of residents compared with its emigrant population.
From BBC • Aug. 19, 2024
Living among one’s own emigrant villagers can give a good Chinese far from China glory and a place.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
