Refugee

Quick meaning: Refugee is a noun meaning (derogatory, by extension) A person who is fleeing from justice, punishment deemed righteous, etc.; a runaway, a fugitive.

Meaning

(derogatory, by extension) A person who is fleeing from justice, punishment deemed righteous, etc.; a runaway, a fugitive.

More Meanings

1. (transitive, US, historical) To convey (slaves) away from the advance of the federal forces.
2. (attributive, also figurative) A person seeking refuge (as for shelter or protection), especially in a foreign country, out of fear or prospect of political, religious persecution, war, natural disaster, etc.

Example Sentences

In 1962 a special law had to be passed to permit the immigration of several thousand Chinese refugees who had escaped from Communist China to Hong Kong.

Alluding to the regional consequences of a war in the Taiwan Strait, Zelensky pointed out that there could be millions of refugees, similar to the result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Why did the SDP dream eventually fade? Partly because it succeeded far better inside parliament than out. It might attract some inner-city Catholic traditionalist Labour refugees from Labour's left, but many of those were already gentrifying.

While thousands of refugees were evacuated from the New Orleans convention center, chaos continued at the airport, thousands were still trapped in homes and hotels, fires raged virtually unchecked in parts of the city, the power was out, and vast sections were still under water.

Word Forms

• refugees
• refugeeing
• refugeed

Synonyms for refugee

Depending on context, synonyms include flightling.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include emigre, recourse, caseload, nuthouse, madhouse, hiding.

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