verb
emigrate
EH-mihg-rayt
Emigrate (verb) means to leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another. Example: “Her grandparents emigrated from Poland in the 1950s.”
verb
1
To leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another.
"Her family was planning to emigrate to the U.S. from Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and couldn't afford school fees."
— Kamala Thiagarajan, If you're going to be kind to another human, today is the day to do it! (2025)
"Her grandparents emigrated from Poland in the 1950s."
"Thousands emigrated during the economic crisis."
How to use emigrate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo move away from your home country to live somewhere else permanently.
Common mistake
Emigrate is used with "from" your home country; immigrate is used with "to" the new country — they describe the same move from different viewpoints.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
emigrate from
emigrate to another country
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- emigrates
- Past tense
- emigrated
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Her grandparents _____ from Poland in the 1950s.
Etymology
From Latin emigratus, past participle of emigrare, "to move away," from ex- ("out of") plus migrare ("to move, depart").
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for emigrate
See all rhymes for emigrate →Frequently asked questions
What does “emigrate” mean?
The word “emigrate” means to leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another. In plain terms, to move away from your home country to live somewhere else permanently.
How do you pronounce “emigrate”?
“Emigrate” is pronounced EH-mihg-rayt (/ˈɛmɪɡɹeɪt/ in IPA).
How do you use “emigrate” in a sentence?
Here is “emigrate” used in a sentence: “Her grandparents emigrated from Poland in the 1950s.”
What is the opposite of “emigrate”?
The opposite of “emigrate” — its antonyms — is immigrate.
What part of speech is “emigrate”?
“Emigrate” is a verb.
Where does the word “emigrate” come from?
The word “emigrate” comes from Latin. From Latin emigratus, past participle of emigrare, "to move away," from ex- ("out of") plus migrare ("to move, depart").
