immigration

noun

im·​mi·​gra·​tion ˌi-mə-ˈgrā-shən How to pronounce immigration (audio)
plural immigrations
: an act or instance of immigrating
specifically : travel into a country for the purpose of permanent residence there
Especially during these months when there has been constant talk of immigration and its myriad challenges, both here and on European national borders … Bob Greene
illegal/legal immigration
immigration reform/policy/law
Drawing historical comparisons is always a fraught process, especially when the subject is as contentious as immigration. James Hannan
There is only a passing comment on Chinese and Japanese immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, plus a short section on the truly global wave of immigrants that swept into America after the Second World War … Nicholas Guyatt
The Middle Ages is the story of successive migrations and immigrationsJanet L. Nelson
immigrational adjective
studied the region's immigrational history

Examples of immigration 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.
Pritzker said the example of Trump aide Stephen Miller proposing to send National Guard troops from red states to blue ones to enforce federal immigration policy is an example of one question the new group aims to answer. Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024 Content by this author: The Case Against Immigration In the United States, there is strong evidence that the national interest has not been well served by the country’s immigration policy over the last five decades. Steven Camarota, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024 Many welcome Trump’s more strict immigration policy. Kristen Taketa, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024 Previous presidents have stepped up the enforcement of immigration laws, notably Trump in his first term and Obama. Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for immigration 

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of immigration was in 1625

Dictionary Entries Near immigration

Cite this Entry

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

More from Merriam-Webster on immigration

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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