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
Israeli officials have rejected that definition, arguing that descendants don’t qualify as refugees and thus don’t have the right to return to their ancestral homes in what is now Israel.
—
Eugenia Yosef and Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025
What might destroy our society is not immigrants or refugees or Palestinians or women seeking abortions or trans people or any of the other assorted others that have been posited as undermining American society.
—Viet Thanh Nguyễn, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
Hundreds of Vietnamese refugees from San Diego and Orange counties attended the ceremony, and many were joined by their children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
But the American public was bitterly divided over whether to accept such a large influx of refugees.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refugee
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Eugenia Yosef and Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2025
What might destroy our society is not immigrants or refugees or Palestinians or women seeking abortions or trans people or any of the other assorted others that have been posited as undermining American society.
—Viet Thanh Nguyễn, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
Hundreds of Vietnamese refugees from San Diego and Orange counties attended the ceremony, and many were joined by their children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025
But the American public was bitterly divided over whether to accept such a large influx of refugees.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 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 2 May. 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)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share