What does emigre mean?
An émigré is a person who has left their native country to settle elsewhere, most commonly because of political persecution, revolution, or upheaval. The word entered English from French during the late eighteenth century, when it described the aristocrats who fled France during the Revolution, and it has since been applied to successive waves of exiles — including Russians after 1917 and Europeans displaced by the Second World War. Unlike the neutral terms 'emigrant' or 'expatriate', 'émigré' tends to suggest that departure was compelled rather than chosen, lending it a tone of pathos or political weight. It is written with an acute accent in formal usage, though the plain spelling 'emigre' is common. Writers reach for it when they want to evoke displacement, loss of homeland, and the experience of rebuilding life far from one's origins, making it especially frequent in historical, literary, and biographical contexts.
nounA person who has left their own country in order to settle elsewhere, typically for political reasons; an emigrant, especially one viewed from the perspective of the country they have left.
- A person who leaves their native country to settle elsewhere, especially for political reasons.
- A person who has departed a particular place or group, used more loosely or figuratively.
"After the revolution, thousands of emigres fled across the border and began new lives abroad."
"The city's literary scene was transformed by emigres fleeing war-torn Europe."
"As a young emigre, she carried little beyond her language and her memories."
The plural simply adds -s; whether the accent is retained depends on house style, with 'émigrés' preferred in formal writing.
"The café became a gathering place for émigrés longing for home."
The acute accent on 'emigre' is a souvenir of France — the word arrived in English during the French Revolution, when aristocrats fleeing the guillotine were called 'émigrés'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of emigre
'Émigré' comes from the French verb 'émigrer', meaning 'to emigrate', which derives from Latin 'emigrare', formed from 'e-' (out) and 'migrare' (to move or depart). The word entered English during the French Revolution of the late eighteenth century, specifically denoting royalists and nobles who fled France. It belongs to the same Latin root as 'emigrate', 'migrate', and related movement words.
Related word forms
How emigre is actually used
The word retains its French accent (é) in careful writing, though the unaccented form 'emigre' is widely accepted. It usually carries a political or historical flavour — associated with exile, upheaval, or displacement — and is more formal and literary than 'emigrant'. It is often applied retrospectively to historical groups such as Russian émigrés after the 1917 Revolution.
Easily confused with emigre
An emigrant is anyone who leaves their country to live elsewhere, whereas 'emigre' typically carries a political connotation and is often used for those forced out by upheaval.
An immigrant is described from the perspective of the destination country, while an emigre is described from the perspective of the country left behind.