# emigrant

/ˈɛməɡɹənt/ (US) · /ˈɛmɪɡɹənt/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/emigrant
Updated: 2026-10-16

## Definition

a person who leaves their own country to live in another country for a long time. You use it when you talk about leaving, not arriving.

For teachers: a person who departs from their country of origin to settle permanently or long-term in another country. Often contrasted with immigrant, which frames the same movement from the perspective of arrival.

## Examples

- The emigrant writes home to his family every month.
- As an emigrant, she keeps close ties to her hometown while building a new life abroad.
- The aging emigrant returned after decades abroad to find his childhood village transformed beyond recognition by roads and tourism.

## Pitfalls

- Not "She is an emigrant to Canada" but "She is an immigrant to Canada" — Use emigrant for leaving a country and immigrant for entering and living in a new one.

## Usage notes

- Typically followed by 'from' for the country left; 'immigrant to' describes arrival in the new country.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.