refugee
Americannoun
-
a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.
noun
Other Word Forms
- prorefugee adjective
- refugeeism noun
Etymology
Origin of refugee
First recorded in 1675–85; from French réfugié “taken refuge,” past participle of réfugier “to take refuge”; equivalent to refuge + -ee
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the case of refugees it could take 20 years.
From BBC
A nearly-blind, non-English-speaking refugee from Myanmar has been found dead in upstate New York after being released from federal immigration custody.
From BBC
These include making most migrants wait for up to 10 years - rather than the current five – before being able to apply for permanent residence, with refugees waiting for up to 20 years.
From BBC
I experimented with versions of myself, and slowly I found my voice as a liberal woman, and later as a writer and advocate for refugees.
In Afghanistan, Taliban officials on Friday claimed Pakistani rockets hit a refugee camp in Nangarhar - housing Afghan citizens recently arrived from Pakistan - and injured at least nine people.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
