immigrant
noun
im·mi·grant
ˈi-mə-grənt 
: one that immigrates: such as
a
: a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence
b
: a plant or animal that becomes established in an area where it was previously unknown
immigrant
adjective
Did you know?
immigrant or emigrant?
Both of these words come from the Latin migrare (“to move from one place to another”), and both have definitions in English that hew closely to their etymological roots, but there is a definite difference between how you would use each one. Emigrant is used in reference to the country that has been left (“an emigrant from Canada”), while immigrant is used in reference the country that one is destined for (“an immigrant to Spain”).
Examples of immigrant in a Sentence
Millions of immigrants came to America from Europe in the 19th century.
The city has a large immigrant population.
Recent Examples on the Web
According to Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation, a Kansas City area immigrants rights group, 80 immigrants rounded up by federal authorities are already being held in FCI Leavenworth, a separate federal prison in the city.
—
Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025
Jessie De Haven, who regularly provides free legal advice to immigrants at the court, said the arrests happened after the men appeared before Immigration Judge Vikram Badrinath.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2025
While Trump said his administration would target undocumented migrants who had committed serious crimes, ICE has detained dozens of nonviolent immigrants without legal status.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
This term, the Trump administration is taking a more direct approach by falsely claiming there is widespread use of these programs by immigrants without any legal status.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for immigrant
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Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025
Jessie De Haven, who regularly provides free legal advice to immigrants at the court, said the arrests happened after the men appeared before Immigration Judge Vikram Badrinath.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2025
While Trump said his administration would target undocumented migrants who had committed serious crimes, ICE has detained dozens of nonviolent immigrants without legal status.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
This term, the Trump administration is taking a more direct approach by falsely claiming there is widespread use of these programs by immigrants without any legal status.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for immigrant
Cite this Entry
“Immigrant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immigrant. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
immigrant
noun
im·mi·grant
ˈim-i-grənt
1
: a person who comes to a country to live there
2
: a plant or animal that becomes established in an area where it did not occur previously
immigrant
adjective
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