expat

expat — noun

1. someone who has chosen to settle temporarily in a foreign nation, typically for

1.nounB2
Definition

someone who has chosen to settle temporarily in a foreign nation, typically for employment or a change of lifestyle

Example

Rachid spent eight years in Bangkok as an expat working for a French airline.

expat + working for [employer] describes the reason for living abroad

The expat community in Dubai organises weekly social events for new arrivals.

collocation: expat community

Common collocations
  • British expat / American expat / Japanese expat
  • expat community
  • expat lifestyle
  • expat worker
  • expat package
  • expat family
Synonyms
  • expatriate

    the full, more formal form of the same word; preferred in official documents and news reports

  • foreigner

    much broader — includes tourists, students, and short-term visitors, not just temporary residents

  • overseas worker

    specifically emphasises employment as the reason for living abroad; less common in casual speech

Antonyms
  • native

    someone born in the country being referred to

  • citizen

    a legal member of the country who holds full rights there

Grammar Patterns

often 'an expat' or 'expats'

Usage Note

Frequently contrasted with 'immigrant': an expat is generally understood to have moved voluntarily and plans to return home, while an immigrant intends permanent settlement. The word is less common in formal academic or government writing, where 'expatriate' or 'overseas national' may be preferred.

Common Mistakes

He is an expat who fled his country due to war.
He is a refugee who fled his country due to war.
'Expat' implies voluntary relocation by choice, not forced flight.
The company hired several local expats for the Tokyo office.
The company hired several expats for the Tokyo office.
Adding 'local' contradicts the meaning; expats by definition come from a different country.

Word family

  • expatriate
    nounB2
  • expatriate
    adjectiveB2
  • expatriate
    verbC1
  • expatriation
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four words refer to someone who is not in their home country, the key differences lie in duration and reason. 'Expat' and its full form 'expatriate' both describe temporary residents who voluntarily moved abroad — an engineer on a three-year contract or a retiree settling in a coastal town. 'Expat' is shorter and more conversational; 'expatriate' carries a slightly more formal tone and appears more often in news articles and legal contexts. 'Foreigner' is the broadest term — it covers everyone from a tourist to a permanent resident and sometimes carries a mild sense of 'outsider'. 'Immigrant' is the most distinct: it implies a permanent move and a goal of integrating into the new society, possibly obtaining citizenship. An immigrant learning the local language and applying for a residence visa would not be called an expat. 'Overseas worker' narrows the reason to employment and is common in HR and economic reporting.

expatriateforeigner ↗immigrant ↗overseas worker

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • expat life
  • expat circle
  • expat network

Prepositions

  • expats in [city/country]

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Expat' is a clipped shortening of 'expatriate' that became common in the mid-20th century. The full word 'expatriate' entered English in the early 1800s from French 'expatrier' (to banish), which in turn came from Latin 'expatriatus' — a combination of 'ex-' (out of) and 'patria' (native land). While the original Latin sense carried the idea of banishment or exile, modern usage has shifted toward voluntary relocation for work or lifestyle.