refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē 
ˈre-fyu̇-ˌjē
: one that flees
especially
: a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution
Synonyms
Examples of refugee in a Sentence
Thousands of refugees have fled the area.
refugees began returning to their homeland after years of political unrest and war
Recent Examples on the Web
The Jenin refugee camp in the north of the West Bank, a sprawling area of narrow alleys that has long been a bastion of militant factions, is front and center of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) latest campaign.
—
Tim Lister and Eugenia Yosef, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
The change stands to impact many more Afghan refugees who may lack the documentation needed to stay in Pakistan.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025
More than 10,400 refugees around the globe who had been approved for travel to the United States suddenly found their entry denied, their airplane tickets worthless.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Most alarming is the impact on children—between May and July 2023 alone, 1,200 children under 5 died in just nine refugee camps due to malnutrition and measles.
—Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for refugee 
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Tim Lister and Eugenia Yosef, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
The change stands to impact many more Afghan refugees who may lack the documentation needed to stay in Pakistan.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025
More than 10,400 refugees around the globe who had been approved for travel to the United States suddenly found their entry denied, their airplane tickets worthless.
—Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Most alarming is the impact on children—between May and July 2023 alone, 1,200 children under 5 died in just nine refugee camps due to malnutrition and measles.
—Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for refugee
Dictionary Entries Near refugee
Cite this Entry
“Refugee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refugee. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌref-yu̇-ˈjē
ˈref-yu̇-ˌjē
: a person who flees for safety especially to a foreign country
Etymology
from French réfugié, past participle of réfugier "to put in a place of safety," from Latin refugium "a refuge," from refugere "to run away from, escape," from re- "again, against" and fugere "to run away, flee" — related to centrifugal, fugitive
Legal Definition
refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē
: an individual seeking refuge or asylum
especially
: an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)
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