Refugee Definition, Examples & Usage Guide

Meaning 1：person fleeing danger (refugee)

refugee 🔊

/ˌrɛf.jʊˈdʒiː/

A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or danger, and is seeking safety in another place.

Refugee family standing outside tents with belongings, realistic daylight photo

person fleeing danger 🔊

➕

/ˈpɜːrsən ˈfliːɪŋ ˈdeɪndʒər/

A person who is forced to leave their home country due to war, persecution, or natural disaster and seek safety elsewhere.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'refugium' (place of refuge), from 're-' (back) + 'fugere' (flee).

💡 Mnemonic

Re- (again) + fuge (flee) = flee again to safety. Picture someone constantly fleeing danger to find refuge.

📖 Example

After the war broke out, his family had to leave everything behind and became refugees in a neighboring country. 🔊 After the war broke out, his family had to leave everything behind and became refugees in a neighboring country.

🔗 Collocations

refugee camp – a temporary settlement providing shelter and basic necessities for displaced people

refugee crisis – a large-scale situation involving a sudden influx of refugees that strains resources

refugee status – legal recognition granted by a host country to a person as a refugee

🔄 Synonyms

asylum seeker (n.) – a person who has applied for asylum and is awaiting a decision on their claim for protection

displaced person (n.) – someone who has been forced to leave their home, often due to conflict or disaster

exile (n.) – a person who is forced to leave their native country, often for political reasons

🚫 Antonyms

citizen (n.) – a legally recognized member of a country with full rights and responsibilities

native (n.) – a person born in a particular place or country

resident (n.) – someone who lives permanently in a particular place

🌱 Derivatives

refuge (n.) – shelter or protection from danger or trouble

refugeless (adj.) – having no refuge or shelter

📖 Cultural Story

Borrowed from French 'réfugié', past participle of 'réfugier' (to take refuge). The term gained prominence in English after the 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes, when French Protestant Huguenots fled to England and were called 'réfugiés'.