‘Emigrate' vs 'Immigrate': What's the Difference?

Do you know the difference between ‘emigrate’ and ‘immigrate’? Or how to use either of these words in a sentence? We’ll cover all of that and more in this article.

The quick answer is that ‘emigrate’ means to leave your country and go live in another country. ‘Immigrate’ means to come into another country to live permanently.

‘Emigrate’ vs. ‘Immigrate’ vs. ‘Migrate’

You know that ‘emigrate’ means to leave your country and go live in another one and that ‘immigrate’ means to come into another country to live for good.

So, what does ‘migrate’ mean?

‘Migrate’ means to move, the way birds fly south in the winter.

‘Emigrate’ vs. ‘Immigrate’ – What’s the Difference?

As you just learned, ‘emigrate’ and ‘immigrate’ sound similar, but they’re two different words with two totally different meanings, unlike homophones, which are usually spelled the same and mean different things.

The former means to leave a place, whereas the latter means to come to a place.

Someone is an ‘immigrant’ to a new country and an ‘emigrant’ from an old one.

In Coming to America, Eddie Murphy played an 'immigrant' to the United States. But in his home country, he was considered an 'emigrant' since he left for America.

Definition and Meaning of ‘Emigrate’

The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘emigrate’ is: “to leave one’s place of residence or country to live elsewhere.” 

Definition and Meaning of ‘Immigrate’

The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘immigrate’ is: “to enter and usually become established” and “especially: to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence.”

As a transitive verb, it means: “to bring in or send as immigrants.”

Now that we know what the difference is between the two words, we can take a look at how to use them both in a sentence.

How to Use ‘Emigrate’ in a Sentence 

Take a look at some examples of how to use ‘emigrate’ in a sentence.

• My sister is planning to emigrate to Korea after graduation.
• Among all of the students in my class, only one plans to emigrate.
• I don’t know if I want to emigrate to France, even if I will have a job when I get there.
• My co-worker wants to emigrate to London for a man. I think it’s a dumb idea.
• If we were to emigrate, we’d leave everyone we know behind. Is that okay with you?
• People don’t know what we have to go through just to emigrate.

How to Use ‘Immigrate’ in a Sentence

Now, we’ll look at how to use ‘immigrate’ in a sentence.

• I wasn’t sure if I should immigrate to Mexico, but the ex-pat community has been amazingly supportive.
• After I had to immigrate for a job, I realize I don’t want to come back to the states.
• Tens of thousands of people immigrate to America every year.
• Are y’all planning to immigrate to another country?
• My family plans to immigrate to Jamaica next year.

Final Thoughts on ‘Emigrate’ and ‘Immigrate’

In closing, we’ve learned that ‘emigrate’ and ‘immigrate’ sound similar but mean different things. The former means to leave a country for a new one, while the latter means to come to a country from another for permanent residence. Now, you can comfortably use both words in a sentence with the above examples as a guide.

If you ever find yourself getting stuck or forgetting what you learned, don’t be afraid to come back and refresh your memory. We’ve also got a ton of other content on confusing words and phrases commonly seen in the English language.