Meaning & use
refugees
Last updated
“refugees” is a form of “refugee”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
People who have been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution or disaster and seek safety elsewhere.
Grammar: Plural of 'refugee': the refugees arrived at dawn.
Patterns
- refugees from somewhere
- refugees fleeing something
Thousands of refugees crossed the border to escape the fighting.
Volunteers set up a camp to shelter refugees from the flood zone.
Many refugees dream of returning home one day.
Word forms
| singular | refugee |
|---|
Common combinations
- refugees fleeing war
- Refugees fleeing war often travel with only a bag.
- refugee camp
- The family spent three years in a refugee camp.
- accept refugees
- The country agreed to accept refugees from the region.
- resettle refugees
- Charities help to resettle refugees in new towns.
- refugee crisis
- The refugee crisis dominated the summit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- displaced people
- A broader term that includes people forced from home who may still be inside their own country, unlike refugees who cross a border.
- asylum seekers
- People who have applied for protection but have not yet been officially recognized as refugees.
- exiles
- Often people forced out for political reasons, and the word can sound more individual and literary.
- migrants
- A wider group that includes people who move by choice, such as for work, which refugees did not.
Opposites
Word family
- refugee noun
- one person who has fled
- refuge noun
- shelter or protection from danger
- asylum noun
- official protection given by a country
- resettlement noun
- moving refugees to a new home
Commonly confused: refugees or immigrants? refugees or evacuees?
refugees vs immigrants
Immigrants move to a country to live there, usually by choice; refugees move because they must escape danger.
refugees vs evacuees
Evacuees are moved away from danger, often temporarily and within their own country.
Practice
People who leave their country because of war and ask for safety elsewhere are called ___.
Choose one answer.
Refugees are forced to flee. Immigrants may move by choice, and tourists and residents do not match the situation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “refugees”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.