French word

émigrer

Pronunciation

IPA/emigʁe/

Meaning

  • verbemigrate

Example

Chaque année, beaucoup de jeunes émigrent pour chercher du travail.

Every year, many young people emigrate to look for work.

Illustration for émigrer (emigrate)

More examples

Après la crise, plusieurs familles ont dû émigrer.

After the crisis, several families had to emigrate.

Core concept

Leaving a homeland across a national border to build a lasting life abroad.

Common phrases

  • émigrer à l'étranger

    emigrate abroad

  • émigrer pour travailler

    emigrate for work

  • émigrer en Europe

    emigrate to Europe

Similar words

immigrer: To enter another country and settle there.
déménager: To change homes or move to another place.
partir: To depart from the place where one is now.
s'expatrier: To leave one's homeland to live abroad for a long time.

Definition in French

Quitter son pays pour s'installer de façon durable dans un autre pays.

Word origin

French émigrer is a learned borrowing from Latin emigrare, formed from e- meaning 'out' and migrare meaning 'to move'.

Usage tips

  • Émigrer focuses on leaving the home country, whereas immigrer focuses on entering the destination country and déménager can describe a move within one country.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word