- (also formal political asylum)[uncountable] protection that a government gives to people who have left their own country, usually because they were in danger for political reasons
- to seek/apply for/be granted asylum
- There was a nationwide debate on whether the asylum laws should be changed.
Extra ExamplesTopics Social issuesc1- She fled the country, and is now seeking asylum in Sweden.
- They applied for asylum after being tortured in their own country.
- She was granted political asylum by Canada in 2013.
- Over 400 people have been refused asylum.
- Those fleeing from the war have the right to asylum.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- political
- temporary
- apply for
- claim
- request
- …
- seeker
- application
- case
- …
- an application for asylum
- the right of asylum
- the right to asylum
- …
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- [countable] (old use) a hospital where people who were mentally ill could be cared for, often for a long timeOxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
- insane
- lunatic
- mental
- …
- in an/the asylum
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘place of refuge’, especially for criminals): via Latin from Greek asulon ‘refuge’, from asulos ‘inviolable’, from a- ‘without’ + sulon ‘right of seizure’. Current senses date from the 18th cent.
Check pronunciation:
asylum