Definitions

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.

Some Miami residents have objected to the location of Trump’s library, which is situated next to the city’s Freedom Tower, where hundreds of thousands of Cuban refugees were processed in the 1960s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

In 1939, more than 900 Jewish refugees who were fleeing Nazi Germany aboard the MS St. Louis were turned away by Cuba and the United States.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Care workers and refugees would have to wait longer.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

For Rohingya refugees like Shah Alam, the journey is extremely dangerous.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

We were simply a part of a long wretched trail of refugees that was filling the road ahead of us and behind us as far as the eye could see.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo