migrate

[ mahy-greyt ]

verb (used without object)

, mi·grat·ed, mi·grat·ing.

1. to go from one country, region, or place to another.

   Synonyms: relocate, move

   Antonyms: stay, remain

2. to pass periodically from one region or climate to another, as certain birds, fishes, and animals:

   The birds migrate southward in the winter.

3. to shift, as from one system, mode of operation, or enterprise to another.
4. Physiology. (of a cell, tissue, etc.) to move from one region of the body to another, as in embryonic development.
5. Chemistry.
   1. (of ions) to move toward an electrode during electrolysis.
   2. (of atoms within a molecule) to change position.
6. (at British universities) to change or transfer from one college to another.

migrate

/ maɪˈɡreɪt /

verb

1. to go from one region, country, or place of abode to settle in another, esp in a foreign country
2. (of birds, fishes, etc) to journey between different areas at specific times of the year

Derived Forms

• miˈgrator, noun

Other Words From

• migra·tor noun
• inter·migrate verb (used without object) intermigrated intermigrating
• non·migrat·ing adjective noun
• re·migrate verb (used without object) remigrated remigrating
• un·migrat·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of migrate¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin migrātus (past participle of migrāre “to move from place to place, change position or abode”), equivalent to migrā- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of migrate¹

C17: from Latin migrāre to change one's abode

Synonym Study

Migrate, emigrate, immigrate are used of changing one's abode from one country or part of a country to another. To migrate is to make such a move either once or repeatedly: to migrate from Ireland to the United States. To emigrate is to leave a country, usually one's own (and take up residence in another): Each year many people emigrate from Europe. To immigrate is to enter and settle in a country not one's own: There are many inducements to immigrate to South America. Migrate is applied both to people or to animals that move from one region to another, especially periodically; the other terms are generally applied to movements of people.

Example Sentences

The international team behind the study, which includes researchers across five continents, looked at the waters where these four whale species live, feed and migrate by pooling data from disparate sources -- including government surveys, sightings by members of the public, tagging studies and even whaling records.

From Science Daily

“Interestingly, people with more influence actually wanted to migrate more,” he says.

From Science Magazine

Cooking with any plastic utensil has long been seen as worrisome because heat can cause chemicals in the plastic to migrate into the food you’re about to eat.

From Los Angeles Times

Due to low sea levels at the time, Palawa/Pakana communities were able to migrate from the Australian mainland.

From Science Daily

They found a surge in fires starting about 41,600 years ago, the researchers report today in Science Advances, the same time as falling sea levels opened a dry corridor allowing humans to migrate to the island.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• drift
• emigrate
• immigrate
• roam
• shift
• trek
• wander