Definition of migrant noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

migrant

noun

/ˈmaɪɡrənt/

a person who moves from one place to another in order to find work or better living conditions
- a safe place for migrants and refugees
- The government is being urged to issue more visas to skilled migrants.
- undocumented/illegal migrants
Collocations Immigration
Immigration
- apply for/gain/obtain/be granted/be denied citizenship
- seek/claim/request/be granted/be refused/be denied asylum
- have/hold dual citizenship/nationality
- assist/welcome/accept refugees/new immigrants
- house/resettle/accommodate refugees/asylum seekers
- employ/hire/use migrant workers
- rely on/exploit/use immigrant/migrant labour
- control/curb/restrict/limit/deter/discourage immigration/migration
- illegal/uncontrolled/mass immigration
- smuggle/traffic people into the country/across the border
- detain/deport/repatriate/expel illegal immigrants/migrants
Synonyms immigrant
immigrantmigrant ▪ refugee ▪ asylum seeker ▪ expatriateThese words all describe people who have moved to a different country.
immigrant a person who has either chosen or been forced to leave their country and come to live permanently in a different country:
immigrants from other European countries
migrant a person who moves from one place to another in order to find work or better living conditions:
The country has a large seasonal migrant population.
refugee a person who has been forced to leave their country or home, because there is a war or for political, religious or social reasons:
There has been a steady flow of refugees from the war zone.
asylum seeker a person who has been forced to leave their own country because they are in danger and who arrives in another country asking to be allowed to stay there:
to provide accommodation and support for asylum seekers
expatriate a person living in a country that is not their own, usually by choice:
American expatriates in Paris
immigrant, migrant, refugee or asylum seeker?An immigrant has either chosen or been forced to leave their own country and move to another. A refugee has been forced to leave their own country. An asylum seeker has been forced to leave their own country and has arrived in another country asking to be allowed to stay. A migrant moves to another country, or within their own country, especially to find work or better living conditions. Patterns
- economic/skilled migrants
- illegal/undocumented immigrants/migrants
- political refugees
compare emigrant, immigrant see also economic migrantTopics Social issuesc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- economic
- illegal
- undocumented
- …
migrant + noun
- labourer/laborer
- worker
- population
- …
preposition
- migrant from
- migrant into
- migrant to
- …
phrases
- a flow of migrants
- an influx of migrants
See full entry
a bird or an animal that moves from one place to another according to the season
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- economic
- illegal
- undocumented
- …
migrant + noun
- labourer/laborer
- worker
- population
- …
preposition
- migrant from
- migrant into
- migrant to
- …
phrases
- a flow of migrants
- an influx of migrants
See full entry

See migrant in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee migrant in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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