migration
gb/maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/ us/maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 5300
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
event
1
movement of people between places
When many people move from one place to another place to live or work there.
Usage pattern:
migration of [people] from [place] to [place]
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse 'migration', 'immigration', and 'emigration'. 'Migration' is the general word for moving from one place to another. 'Immigration' is entering a new country to live there. 'Emigration' is leaving your own country to live in another. Many learners also use it incorrectly as a verb (*people migration to cities*); the correct forms are 'people migrate' (verb) or 'there is migration' (noun).
Synonyms
relocation (Usually refers to individuals or smaller groups and sounds more personal or business-related, less about large population movements.)
|
population movement (More technical and descriptive; focuses on changes in where people live without the legal or political associations of 'migration'.)
|
immigration (Focuses on people entering a country; 'migration' is broader and includes movement within a country and leaving a country.)
Antonyms
settlement (Describes people staying and establishing homes in one place, the opposite of moving away.)
Collocations
mass migration
|human migration
|internal migration
|rural-to-urban migration
|migration crisis
|migration policy
Themes
society
|politics
|geography
|travel
Examples
- Economic problems led to large-scale migration from rural areas to the cities.
- The government introduced new laws to control migration across its borders.
- Climate change is expected to increase migration in many parts of the world.
- The report examines patterns of migration between Europe and North Africa.
- Internal migration has changed the population balance between the north and south of the country.
Learner examples
- There is a lot of migration from this village to the capital city.
- The war caused the migration of many families to safer countries.
- Migration from the countryside is making the city very crowded.
- The news showed a story about migration across the sea.
- The country’s migration policy changed last year.
Noun
B2
event
2
seasonal movement of animals
When animals move to another place at certain times of the year and then come back.
Usage pattern:
migration of [animals] between [place] and [place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'migration' here means any short movement. In biology, it usually describes long-distance, often seasonal travel between areas, not everyday movement within a small area.
Synonyms
seasonal movement (A more descriptive phrase that makes the regular timing clear but is less specific to animals.)
|
animal movement (Very general and does not imply regular or long-distance travel the way 'migration' does.)
Antonyms
sedentariness (Describes animals (or groups) that stay in one place instead of moving regularly between areas.)
Collocations
bird migration
|seasonal migration
|annual migration
|migration route
|migration pattern
|migration corridor
Themes
nature
|animals
|science
Examples
- Climate change is altering the timing of bird migration across the continent.
- The wildebeest migration is one of the most spectacular wildlife events in the world.
- Scientists use GPS tags to track the migration routes of sea turtles.
- The river forms an important corridor for fish migration.
- Overfishing has disrupted the natural migration patterns of many species.
Learner examples
- We learned about bird migration in science class.
- The film shows the long migration of whales every year.
- These lakes are on the main migration route of many ducks.
- Climate change can change animal migration.
- They study the migration of fish in this river.
Noun
technical
C1
action
3
moving data or systems in IT
The planned move of computer data or programs from one system or place to another.
Usage pattern:
migration of [data/systems] from [system] to [system]
Common mistake:
Some learners use 'migration' instead of 'update' or 'upgrade' (e.g. *software migration* when they only mean installing a new version on the same system). In IT, 'migration' usually means moving to a different system, platform, or storage environment, not just updating a program.
Synonyms
transfer (A more general term for moving data; it does not always include the careful planning and technical changes implied by 'migration'.)
|
transition (Focuses on the overall change from one system to another, not only on the movement of data.)
Antonyms
retention (Emphasizes keeping data or systems in their current location or form instead of moving them.)
Collocations
data migration
|cloud migration
|system migration
|server migration
|database migration
|migration plan
Themes
technology
|business
Examples
- The company scheduled its data migration to the new cloud platform over the weekend.
- Careful planning is essential for a successful system migration with minimal downtime.
- They hired consultants to manage the migration of their databases from on‑premise servers.
- User accounts may be temporarily locked during the migration process.
- The report outlines the risks associated with application migration to the cloud.
Learner examples
- Our team is working on data migration to a new server.
- The company finished the migration of its email system last month.
- We tested the website after migration to the new platform.
- Good backup is important before any system migration.
- The IT manager wrote a plan for the migration project.
Noun
technical
C2
event
4
movement of cells or particles
In science, the way small things like cells or chemicals move through another material.
Usage pattern:
migration of [cells/particles/chemicals] through [medium]
Synonyms
movement (A very general term; 'migration' in this sense is used in more technical, measured contexts.)
|
diffusion (A specific physical process; sometimes related but not identical, as 'migration' may involve directed or driven movement, not only random spreading.)
Antonyms
immobility (Describes a situation where the cells, particles, or chemicals do not move through the medium.)
Collocations
cell migration
|ion migration
|migration rate
|migration distance
|migration assay
|particle migration
Themes
science
|medicine
Examples
- The drug inhibits the migration of cancer cells in this tissue model.
- Researchers measured ion migration across the membrane under different voltages.
- Plastic packaging is tested to limit the migration of chemicals into food.
- The assay allows scientists to study the migration of immune cells toward the infection site.
- Temperature has a strong effect on the migration rate of particles in the solution.
Learner examples
- The scientist studies the migration of cancer cells.
- High heat can increase the migration of chemicals from plastic into food.
- This experiment shows the migration of ions through the wall of the cell.
- They measure the migration distance of the particles in the liquid.
- The new drug slows the migration of these cells.
Grammar
Dictionary form
migration
IPA
GB/maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/
US/maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
mi - gra - tion (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (gra)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: migration
- Plural: migration, migrations
Word family
Expressions
bird migration
1/bˈɚd maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
seasonal movement of birds
When birds fly to another place at certain times of the year and then come back.
Examples
- This lake is an important stopover for bird migration in the spring.
- Scientists study bird migration to understand how species respond to climate change.
- The park organizes night walks to observe bird migration in the autumn.
data migration
1/dˈætə maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
moving stored data between systems
The planned move of saved computer information from one system or place to another.
Examples
- The IT team scheduled data migration to the new server for Friday night.
- Poorly planned data migration can result in lost or corrupted files.
- We completed the data migration before launching the new platform.
human migration
1/hjˈumən maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
movement of human populations
The way people move from one place to another place to live or work.
Examples
- The course explores the history of human migration across the globe.
- Human migration has shaped the culture of this region for centuries.
- Modern human migration is strongly influenced by economic differences between countries.
mass migration
1/mˈæs maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
very large-scale movement of people
When a very large number of people move from one place to another place.
Examples
- War in the region has caused mass migration to neighboring countries.
- The city is not prepared for the mass migration from rural areas.
- Scientists warn that climate change could trigger mass migration in low-lying coastal zones.
migration crisis
1/maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən kɹˈaɪsəs/
fixed phrase
formal
serious problems from large migration
A serious situation when many people move into or through an area, and the government has problems helping or controlling this.
Examples
- The country faced a major migration crisis after the neighboring state collapsed.
- Leaders met to discuss a common response to the migration crisis.
- Media coverage of the migration crisis influenced public opinion on border policy.
seasonal migration
1/sˈizənəl maɪɡɹˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
migration linked to seasons
Movement that happens at the same time every year, usually when animals move between places.
Examples
- The documentary focuses on the seasonal migration of birds through the wetlands.
- Climate change is disrupting the seasonal migration of many animal species.
- We visited the national park during the seasonal migration of the elk.