immigrate

verb

im·​mi·​grate ˈi-mə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce immigrate (audio)
immigrated; immigrating

intransitive verb

: to enter and usually become established
especially : to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence

transitive verb

: to bring in or send as immigrants

Examples of immigrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Born and raised in the Chicago area with parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan, Pan, a Republican, has taught German at UCI since 2006, according to his campaign website. Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024 The movies include the story of a Saudi girl and her Sudanese driver who form a friendship, a look at a Bedouin family’s life in the middle of the desert, and the journey of a couple from rural Egypt who immigrate to New York in search of a cure for their infertility. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024 On a trip to Haiti in 2014, many years after her previous visit, Morisseau was joined by her father, who had immigrated to the U.S. as a young child. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024 Among them were my parents, who immigrated from Odesa, Ukraine, to the U.S. in the early ‘90s after the dissolution of the USSR. Rachel Sonis, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for immigrate 

Word History

Etymology

Latin immigratus, past participle of immigrare to remove, go in, from in- + migrare to migrate

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of immigrate was circa 1623

Dictionary Entries Near immigrate

Cite this Entry

“Immigrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immigrate. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

immigrate

verb
im·​mi·​grate ˈim-ə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce immigrate (audio)
immigrated; immigrating
: to come into a foreign country to live
immigration noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!