asylum
Americannoun
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(especially formerly) an institution for the maintenance and care of the mentally ill, orphans, or other persons requiring specialized assistance.
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an inviolable refuge, as formerly for criminals and debtors; sanctuary.
He sought asylum in the church.
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International Law.
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a refuge granted an alien by a sovereign state on its own territory.
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a temporary refuge granted political offenders, especially in a foreign embassy.
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any secure retreat.
noun
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a safe or inviolable place of refuge, esp as formerly offered by the Christian Church to criminals, outlaws, etc; sanctuary (often in the phrase give asylum to )
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shelter; refuge
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international law refuge afforded to a person whose extradition is sought by a foreign government
political asylum
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obsolete an institution for the shelter, treatment, or confinement of individuals, esp a mental hospital (formerly termed lunatic asylum )
Etymology
Origin of asylum
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin, from Greek ásȳlon “sanctuary,” from a- a- 6 + sŷlon “right of seizure”
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.
Mulakhil faced trial alongside Mohammad Kabir, also an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, who was acquitted of all charges.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
In fiscal year 2024, the American Immigration Council estimated that asylum-seekers waited on average three and half years before being granted asylum.
From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026
It doesn’t distinguish between immigrants in the U.S. illegally and those with legal status, including those seeking asylum or in temporary protected status.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
The case posed a fundamental clash between the government’s need to manage surges at the border and the moral and historic right to offer asylum to those fleeing persecution.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
Our only hope was asylum in places like England or America, which meant we were refugees, begging for them to protect us.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
