migrate
verb
Simple meaning
Move from one country or region to another and settle there.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
mygraytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmaɪɡɹeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Move from one country or region to another and settle there
“Many Germans migrated to South America in the mid-19th century.”
intransitive
To change one's geographic pattern of habitation.
intransitive
To change habitations across a border; to move from one country or political region to another.
intransitive
To relocate periodically from one region to another, usually according to the seasons.
intransitive
To move slowly towards, usually in groups.
intransitive
To move gradually, especially from an intended to an unintended position.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Move from one country or region to another and settle there
Used this way, migrate is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Many Germans migrated to South America in the mid-19th century.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “migrate to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: migrate to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use migrate
- “Many Germans migrated to South America in the mid-19th century.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The geographic route along which birds customarily migrate.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.