migrant

American  

[mahy-gruhnt] / ˈmaɪ grənt /

adjective

1. migrating, especially of people; migratory.

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noun

1. a person or animal that migrates.

2. a person who attempts to permanently relocate to a new country, but who may be subject to removal by the government of that country: unaccompanied child migrants.

   undocumented migrants;

   unaccompanied child migrants.

3. Also called migrant worker.  a person who moves from place to place to get work, especially a farm laborer who harvests crops seasonally.

migrant British  

/ ˈmaɪɡrənt /

noun

1. a person or animal that moves from one region, place, or country to another

2. an itinerant agricultural worker who travels from one district to another

3. 1. an immigrant, esp a recent one

   2. ( as modifier )

      a migrant hostel

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adjective

1. moving from one region, place, or country to another; migratory

Other Word Forms

• nonmigrant adjective
• unmigrant adjective

Etymology

Origin of migrant

1665–75; < Latin migrant- (stem of migrāns ), present participle of migrāre. See migrate, -ant

Example Sentences

"Everyone is worried," said 29-year-old labourer Bunty Goswami, a migrant worker at a shut plant.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Remittance flows could also be affected, as weaker economic activity in the Gulf may reduce labor demand and migrant workers’ incomes, the ADB said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

"I will have to go hungry if I continue staying here without work," Sachin Parashar, a migrant worker, told a local news channel.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

The community has been “shaken to its foundation,” said Ramirez, the founder of Justice for Migrant Women, a civil rights organization focusing on farmworker and migrant women.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

As migrant Jose Rodas Orellana readies to board a train in Veracruz, a man emerges from his house.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Related Words

• emigrant
• evacuee
• expatriate
• immigrant
• traveler