refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē 
ˈre-fyu̇-ˌjē
: one that flees
especially
: a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution
Examples of refugee in a Sentence
Thousands of refugees have fled the area.
refugees began returning to their homeland after years of political unrest and war
Recent Examples on the Web
The refugees are spread primarily throughout Europe, with some in the United States and elsewhere.
—
Claire Harbage, NPR, 2 Aug. 2025
Waziri—a refugee who fled to the United States in 2021 after serving in an elite Afghan military unit trained to detect hidden explosives and assigned to protect U.S. Green Berets—was fatally shot after a confrontation.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
The supplies — meant for women in low-income nations, conflict zones, refugee camps and other fragile regions — have been sitting in a warehouse in Geel, Belgium, since the Trump administration began dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025
Only a small number of white South Africans and others granted waivers by the Secretary of State, some Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders, and 160 refugees protected under the Pacito v. Trump lawsuit have been admitted this year.
—Alex Poppe
july 25, Literary Hub, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for refugee
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Claire Harbage, NPR, 2 Aug. 2025
Waziri—a refugee who fled to the United States in 2021 after serving in an elite Afghan military unit trained to detect hidden explosives and assigned to protect U.S. Green Berets—was fatally shot after a confrontation.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025
The supplies — meant for women in low-income nations, conflict zones, refugee camps and other fragile regions — have been sitting in a warehouse in Geel, Belgium, since the Trump administration began dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025
Only a small number of white South Africans and others granted waivers by the Secretary of State, some Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders, and 160 refugees protected under the Pacito v. Trump lawsuit have been admitted this year.
—Alex Poppe
july 25, Literary Hub, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for refugee
Cite this Entry
“Refugee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refugee. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌref-yu̇-ˈjē
ˈref-yu̇-ˌjē
: a person who flees for safety especially to a foreign country
Etymology
from French réfugié, past participle of réfugier "to put in a place of safety," from Latin refugium "a refuge," from refugere "to run away from, escape," from re- "again, against" and fugere "to run away, flee" — related to centrifugal, fugitive
Legal Definition
refugee
noun
ref·u·gee
ˌre-fyu̇-ˈjē
: an individual seeking refuge or asylum
especially
: an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)
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