refugees

NOUN

person running from something, often oppression

Synonyms

STRONGEST

alien displaced person emigrant evacuee exile expatriate foreigner

STRONG

DP castaway defector derelict deserter escapee foundling fugitive leper maroon outcast outlaw prodigal renegade runaway

WEAK

boat person expellee homeless person stateless person émigré

Antonyms

STRONGEST

citizen national native

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.

Adult immigrants in most of the U.S. can only qualify when they fall into special categories—including refugees and people granted asylum—or after they have held green cards for at least five years.

From The Wall Street Journal

Shortly after the first Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. and its allies launched Operation Provide Comfort, a humanitarian relief mission to defend Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq.

From The Wall Street Journal

Unwra, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said while the report stated Gaza was no longer in famine, the situation remained "critical".

From BBC

Earlier this week, Archbishop Moth released a joint statement calling for empathy for "those who come to this country for their safety", reminding Catholics that Jesus's family fled to Egypt as refugees.

From BBC

Poland has been in the firing line since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees who fled the fighting.

From Barron's