migrate

[mahy-greyt]

verb (used without object)

migrated, migrating 

1. to go from one country, region, or place to another.

   Synonyms: relocate, move
   Antonyms: stay, remain

2. to pass periodically from one region or climate to another, as certain birds, fishes, and animals.

   The birds migrate southward in the winter.

3. to shift, as from one system, mode of operation, or enterprise to another.

4. Physiology.,  (of a cell, tissue, etc.) to move from one region of the body to another, as in embryonic development.

5. Chemistry.

   1. (of ions) to move toward an electrode during electrolysis.

   2. (of atoms within a molecule) to change position.

6. (at British universities) to change or transfer from one college to another.

migrate

/ maɪˈɡreɪt /

verb

1. to go from one region, country, or place of abode to settle in another, esp in a foreign country

2. (of birds, fishes, etc) to journey between different areas at specific times of the year

Other Word Forms

• migrator noun
• intermigrate verb (used without object)
• nonmigrating adjective
• remigrate verb (used without object)
• unmigrating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of migrate¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin migrātus (past participle of migrāre “to move from place to place, change position or abode”), equivalent to migrā- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of migrate¹

C17: from Latin migrāre to change one's abode

Synonym Study

Migrate, emigrate, immigrate are used of changing one's abode from one country or part of a country to another. To migrate is to make such a move either once or repeatedly: to migrate from Ireland to the United States. To emigrate is to leave a country, usually one's own (and take up residence in another): Each year many people emigrate from Europe. To immigrate is to enter and settle in a country not one's own: There are many inducements to immigrate to South America. Migrate is applied both to people or to animals that move from one region to another, especially periodically; the other terms are generally applied to movements of people.

Example Sentences

When she migrated to Pakistan in 1977, she took him along.

From BBC

Not only did audiences get used to streaming movies from home, but certain mid-tier films, such as comedies, increasingly migrated over to those platforms, making them rarer sights at the box office.

From Los Angeles Times

The incident comes barely a week after a group of tourists were filmed blocking migrating wildebeest at Kenya's Maasai Mara during the annual wildlife migration - one of the world's greatest wildlife spectacles.

From BBC

But that source of revenue is under threat as viewers migrate to Netflix, Disney+ and other streamers — shrinking the pool of pay-TV subscribers.

From Los Angeles Times

As the industry divests from the genre, those stories, including some of Henry’s, have migrated to streaming platforms.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drift 
• emigrate 
• immigrate 
• roam 
• shift 
• trek 
• wander