Meaning & use
immigrant
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who comes to live permanently in a country that is not their country of birth.
Grammar: Countable: you can say an immigrant, the immigrant, or immigrants.
Patterns
- an immigrant from somewhere
- an immigrant to somewhere
- immigrants arrive/settle
My grandmother was an immigrant from Italy.
The city has a large community of immigrants from Vietnam.
Many immigrants arrive with few possessions but strong hopes.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to people who come to live permanently in a new country.
Grammar: Used before a noun: immigrant families, immigrant workers.
Patterns
- immigrant community
- immigrant workers
The immigrant population has grown steadily over the past decade.
She works for an organization that helps immigrant families find housing.
Word forms
| plural | immigrants |
|---|
Common combinations
- illegal immigrant
- The term 'illegal immigrant' is often considered offensive; 'undocumented immigrant' is preferred.
- immigrant worker
- Many immigrant workers send money home to their families.
- immigrant community
- The immigrant community runs several shops and restaurants in the neighborhood.
- recent immigrant
- Recent immigrants often need help learning the language.
Synonyms and how they differ
- migrant
- A person who moves to find work, often temporarily; an immigrant usually intends to stay permanently.
- newcomer
- A more general word for someone who has recently arrived; it does not necessarily mean from another country.
- settler
- Someone who moves to a new region and makes a home there, often used for historical contexts.
Opposites
Word family
- immigrate verb
- To come to live permanently in a new country.
- immigration noun
- The process of coming to live in a new country.
- emigrant noun
- A person who leaves their own country to live elsewhere.
Commonly confused: immigrant or emigrant?
immigrant vs emigrant
An immigrant is seen from the new country's point of view; an emigrant is seen from the old country's point of view. The same person can be both.
Practice
Choose the correct word: 'My aunt left Canada to live in France; she is a(n) ___ from Canada.'
Choose one answer.
From the perspective of Canada, the country she left, she is an emigrant. 'Immigrant' would describe her from France's perspective. 'Migrant' often suggests temporary movement for work, and 'settler' is usually used for historical contexts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “immigrant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.