emigrant

UK: /ˈɛmɪgrənt/ US: /ˈɛmɪgrənt/ ,(em′i grənt)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

em•i•grant  (em′i grənt), n. 

1. a person who emigrates, as from his or her native country or region:
   They welcomed the emigrants from Italy.

adj. 

2. emigrating.

• Latin ēmīgrant- (stem of ēmīgrāns) moving away (present participle of ēmīgrāre), equivalent. to ē- e- + mīgrant- (mīgr- remove + -ant- -ant)
• 1745–55, American.

Synonyms

• 1. émigré, expatriate.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

emigrant / ˈɛmɪɡrənt/ noun

1. a person who leaves one place or country, esp a native country, to settle in another
   Compare immigrant
2. (as modifier): an emigrant worker

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

em•i•grate /ˈɛmɪˌgreɪt/   v. [no object] , -grat•ed, -grat•ing. 

1. to leave one country or region to settle in another; migrate:
   My grandmother emigrated from Russia in 1930.

em•i•grant /ˈɛmɪgrənt/  n. [countable]
e•mi•gra•tion /ˌɛmɪˈgreɪʃən/  n. [countable* uncountable] See -migr-.
Related Words

emigrate is a verb, emigrant and émigré are nouns:
They emigrated from their home country. They were emigrants. They were émigrés from eastern Europe.

Usage

See immigrate.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

em•i•grate  (em′i grāt′), v.i., -grat•ed, -grat•ing. 

1. to leave one country or region to settle in another;
   migrate:
   to emigrate from Ireland to Australia.

• Latin ēmīgrātus moved away (past participle of ēmīgrāre), equivalent. to ē- e- + mīgrātus (mīgr- remove + ātus -ate¹)
• 1770–80

em′i•gra′tive, adj. 
Synonyms

See migrate.