refugee

American  

[ref-yoo-jee, ref-yoo-jee] / ˌrɛf yʊˈdʒi, ˈrɛf yʊˌdʒi /

noun

1. a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.

2. political refugee.

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refugee British  

/ ˌrɛfjʊˈdʒiː /

noun

1. 1. a person who has fled from some danger or problem, esp political persecution

      refugees from Rwanda

   2. ( as modifier )

      a refugee camp

      a refugee problem

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Other Word Forms

• prorefugee adjective
• refugeeism noun

Etymology

Origin of refugee

First recorded in 1675–85; from French réfugié “taken refuge,” past participle of réfugier “to take refuge”; equivalent to refuge + -ee

Example Sentences

Iranians without electricity or water would soon need external supplies or become refugees to neighboring countries and beyond.

From The Wall Street Journal

He added that many Syrian refugees had made a major contribution in Germany but that most wanted to return home, where they would play an important role in rebuilding Syria in the years ahead.

From BBC

On Friday, the UN's refugee agency warned that Lebanon was facing a worsening humanitarian crisis that could become catastrophic, with more than one million people now displaced.

From BBC

The government in Seoul views North Korean refugees as citizens under the South Korean constitution and offers them a home.

From BBC

Nearly a month into the Middle East war, Lebanon is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis that now risks teetering over into a catastrophe, the United Nations refugee agency warned Friday.

From Barron's

Related Words

• alien
• displaced person
• emigrant
• evacuee
• exile
• expatriate
• foreigner