English Reference
Verb

emigrate

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈɛməˌɡɹeɪt/ UK /ˈɛmɪɡɹˌeɪt/ em·i·grate UK spelling emigrated, emigrates, emigrating

v.to leave your own country to live in another one. You usually do this for a long time or for good.

v.to leave one's own country to settle permanently in another. Transitive when used with a destination; intransitive when the destination is implied or not specified.


SIMPLE

Many people emigrate to find better jobs.

CONTEXTUAL

After finishing his degree, he decided to emigrate to Canada to start a new life.

COMPLEX

The historical records show that thousands of families emigrated during the nineteenth century, driven by economic hardship and the promise of fertile land in the west.

Don't confuse

emigrate vs immigrate — Emigrate is the act of leaving a country; immigrate is the act of entering a new one.

The main character is Kathleen, an Anglicised Australian actor whose father had emigrated from Slovenia.

The Guardian· 26 Aug 2026

He visited the Americas for the first time on assignment in 1933 and emigrated to the United States with his wife and child later that year.

JSTOR Daily· 27 May 2026

From Latin emigratus, perfect passive participle of emigro (“to move away, remove, depart from a place”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + migro (“to move, remove, depart”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated