Close in meaning
Emigrate vs. Immigrate
Emigrate means to leave your country to live in another. Immigrate means to come into a new country to live there. One move is both: Omar emigrated from Egypt and immigrated to Canada.
| Word | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| emigrate | verb | to leave your own country to live permanently in another one |
| immigrate | verb | to come into a new country to live there permanently |
Emigrate
verb: to leave your own country to live permanently in another one
- Her grandparents emigrated from Poland in the 1950s.
- Many young nurses emigrate to find better-paid work.
Immigrate
verb: to come into a new country to live there permanently
- Jada's family immigrated to the United States when she was six.
- After years of paperwork, they finally immigrated to New Zealand.
How to remember the difference
Emigrate starts with e, like exit: you exit your country. Immigrate starts with i, like in: you move into a new one.
Good to know
Use from with emigrate and to with immigrate. The same people are emigrants seen from home and immigrants seen from their new country. Migrate is the general word for moving from one place to another, used often for birds and animals.
Spot the mistake
Thousands of people
emigrate intoimmigrate to the country each year.Correct: Thousands of people immigrate to the country each year.
Check yourself
Pick the word that fits each sentence.
1. Ben's great-grandfather decided to from Ireland in 1910.
Answer: emigrate. He is leaving his home country, and the word takes from, so emigrate fits.
2. Priya hopes to to Australia after she finishes nursing school.
Answer: immigrate. She is moving into a new country to live, so immigrate, used with to, fits.