First Known Use: 1697
Dictionary
migrate
verb mi·grate \ˈmī-ˌgrāt, mī-ˈ\
: to move from one country or place to live or work in another
of a bird or animal : to move from one area to another at different times of the year
mi·grat·edmi·grat·ing
Full Definition of MIGRATE
intransitive verb
1
: to move from one country, place, or locality to another
2
: to pass usually periodically from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding
3
: to change position in an organism or substance <filarial worms migrate within the human body>
— mi·gra·tion \mī-ˈgrā-shən\ noun
— mi·gra·tion·al \-shnəl, -shə-nəl\ adjective
— mi·gra·tor \ˈmī-ˌgrā-tər, mī-ˈ\ noun
See migrate defined for English-language learners
See migrate defined for kids
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Origin of MIGRATE
Latin migratus, past participle of migrare; perhaps akin to Greek ameibein to change
Other Ecology Terms
Rhymes with MIGRATE
abate, ablate, adnate, aerate, age-mate, agnate, airdate, airfreight, alate, arête, await, backdate, baldpate, bandmate, baseplate, bedmate, bedplate, berate, birthrate, bistate, bite plate, blank slate, blind date, blue plate, bookplate, breastplate, casemate, castrate, caudate, cell plate, cerate, cheapskate, checkmate, chelate, chordate, citrate, classmate, clavate, cognate, collate, comate, conflate, connate, Cook Strait, cordate, create, cremate, crenate, curate, cut-rate, deadweight, death rate, debate, deflate, delate, dentate, derate, dictate, dilate, disrate, donate, doorplate, downstate, drawplate, elate, end plate, equate, estate, faceplate, falcate, fellate, filtrate, first-rate, fishplate, fixate, flatmate, floodgate, fluxgate, flyweight, folate, formate, frustrate, gelate, gestate, ground state, gyrate, hamate, hastate, headgate, Hell Gate, helpmate, home plate, hot plate, housemate, hydrate, ice-skate, inflate, ingrate, inmate, innate, instate, irate, jailbait, Kuwait, lactate, lapse rate, legate, liftgate, ligate, lightweight, liquate, lobate, locate, lunate, lustrate, lych-gate, lyrate, magnate, makebate, makeweight, mandate, messmate, misstate, mutate, nameplate, narrate, negate, Newgate, nitrate, notate, nutate, oblate, of late, orate, ornate, ovate, palmate, palpate, peltate, phonate, pinnate, placate, playdate, playmate, plicate, portrait, postdate, predate, prime rate, probate, prolate, pronate, prorate, prostate, prostrate, punctate, pupate, quadrate, rain date, ramate, rebate, red-bait, relate, restate, roommate, rostrate, rotate, saccate, schoolmate, seatmate, sedate, sensate, septate, serrate, shipmate, short weight, slave state, soleplate, soul mate, spectate, spicate, squamate, stagnate, stalemate, stellate, striate, sublate, substrate, sulcate, summate, tailgate, teammate, Tebet, tenth-rate, ternate, terneplate, testate, third-rate, tinplate, to date, toeplate, tollgate, tractate, translate, tristate, truncate, unweight, update, uprate, upstate, V-8, vacate, vallate, valvate, vibrate, virgate, vulgate, whitebait, workmate
MIGRATE Defined for Kids
migrate
verb mi·grate \ˈmī-ˌgrāt\
mi·grat·edmi·grat·ing
Definition of MIGRATE for Kids
1
: to move from one country or region to another <Families migrated west in search of work.>
2
: to pass from one region to another on a regular basis <Many birds migrate south for the winter.>
Medical Dictionary
migrate
intransitive verb mi·grate \ˈmī-ˌgrāt, mī-ˈ\
mi·grat·edmi·grat·ing
Medical Definition of MIGRATE
: to move from one place to another: as a : to move from one site to another in a host organism especially as part of a life cycle <filarial worms migrate within the human body> b of an atom or group : to shift position within a molecule
—mi·gra·to·ry \ˈmī-grə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr-\ adjective
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