English Reference
noun · adjective · verb

expatriate

n. · adj. · v.
US /ɛkˈspeɪtɹiˌeɪt/ ex·pa·tri·ate UK spelling expatriated, expatriates, expatriating

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    n.someone who lives in a country that is not their own, usually for work or study.

    n.a person residing in a country other than their native one, typically for professional or educational purposes.

    Simple

    The city has a large community of expatriates who work for international companies.

    In context

    The local government introduced new tax incentives to attract skilled expatriates to the burgeoning technology sector.

    expatmigrantnon native
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    adj.describes someone who is living in a foreign country.

    adj.residing in a foreign country; not comparable.

    Simple

    She enjoys the expatriate lifestyle and the chance to travel to nearby countries.

    In context

    The expatriate population often gathers at specific social clubs to maintain a sense of cultural connection to their home countries.

    overseasforeign based
  3. 03 C1 Advanced Formal

    v.to leave your own country to live in another, or to be forced to leave by the government.

    v.to withdraw from one's native country or to banish a person from their own country.

    Simple

    He decided to expatriate himself after finding a better job in Singapore.

    In context

    The revolutionary leaders were expatriated by the new regime and forced to seek asylum in neighbouring states.

    Usage

    The transitive use meaning 'to banish' is less common in modern speech than the reflexive 'to expatriate oneself'.

    repatriate

A country cannot allow expatriates in for jobs locals have expertise in,” he said.

Al Jazeera· 7 Sept 2026

The verb is first attested in 1787, the adjective and noun in 1812; borrowed from Medieval Latin expatriātus, perfect passive participle of expatriō (“to banish”) (see -ate (etymology 1,2 and 3)), from Latin ex- (“out of”) + patria (“native land”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); possibly after French expatrier and expatrié.

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

This entry
Origin French expatrier
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated