Meanings
nounasylum seeker (plural asylum seekers)
plural asylum seekers · alternative asylum-seeker
- A person who has applied for asylum in a foreign country but has not yet been granted refugee status by that country.
In Manchester and in Aldershot in Hampshire, asylum seeker accommodation was targeted by demonstrators carrying placards that read “deport them, don’t support them” and “no apartments for illegals”.
2024 August 1, Josh Halliday, Neha Gohil, “Police in England urged to protect mosques as far right plans more rallies”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 24 Aug 20241 more example
He stayed with friends and even spent a few nights in a hotel when had nowhere else to go. In September 2019, he moved into a flat with three other gay asylum seekers through Le Refuge, an organisation supporting isolated LGBTQI+ youth.
2020 August 5, Francesca Spinelli, “Meet David: born in France, raised in Belgium, facing removal to the DRC”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 05 Jan 2021
Translations
Afrikaans asielsoeker
- asielsoekerperson who has applied for asylum
Arabic طَالِب لُجُوء, طَالِبَة لُجُوء
- طَالِب لُجُوء (ṭālib lujūʔ)person who has applied for asylum
- طَالِبَة لُجُوء (ṭālibat lujūʔ)person who has applied for asylum
Bulgarian тъ́рсещ убе́жище
- тъ́рсещ убе́жище (tắrsešt ubéžište)person who has applied for asylum
Catalan sol·licitant d'asil
- sol·licitant d'asilperson who has applied for asylum
Chinese Mandarin 尋求庇護者 /寻求庇护者
- 尋求庇護者 /寻求庇护者 (xúnqiú bìhùzhě)person who has applied for asylum
Czech žadatel o azyl, žadatelka o azyl
- žadatel o azylperson who has applied for asylum
- žadatelka o azylperson who has applied for asylum
- azylantperson who has applied for asylum
- azylantkaperson who has applied for asylum
Danish asylansøger
- asylansøgerperson who has applied for asylum
Dutch asielzoeker
- asielzoekerperson who has applied for asylum
Esperanto azilpetanto
- azilpetantoperson who has applied for asylum
Estonian varjupaigataotleja
- varjupaigataotlejaperson who has applied for asylum
Finnish turvapaikanhakija
- turvapaikanhakijaperson who has applied for asylum
French demandeur d'asile, demandeuse d'asile
- demandeur d'asileperson who has applied for asylum
- demandeuse d'asileperson who has applied for asylum
German Asylant, Asylantin
- Asylantperson who has applied for asylum
- Asylantinperson who has applied for asylum
- Asylbewerberperson who has applied for asylum
- Asylbewerberinperson who has applied for asylum
- Asylsuchenderperson who has applied for asylum
- Asylsuchendeperson who has applied for asylum
- Asylwerberperson who has applied for asylum
- Asylwerberinperson who has applied for asylum
Greek αιτών άσυλο, αιτητής ασύλου
- αιτών άσυλο (aitón ásylo)person who has applied for asylum
- αιτητής ασύλου (aititís asýlou)person who has applied for asylum
Hungarian menedékkérő
- menedékkérőperson who has applied for asylum
Icelandic hælisleitandi
- hælisleitandiperson who has applied for asylum
Irish iarrthóir tearmainn
- iarrthóir tearmainnperson who has applied for asylum
Japanese 亡命希望者
- 亡命希望者 (bōmei kibōsha)person who has applied for asylum
Korean 망명 신청자
- 망명 신청자 (mangmyeong sincheongja)person who has applied for asylum
Latvian patvēruma meklētājs
- patvēruma meklētājsperson who has applied for asylum
Lithuanian prieglobsčio prašytojas, prieglobsčio prašytoja
- prieglobsčio prašytojasperson who has applied for asylum
- prieglobsčio prašytojaperson who has applied for asylum
- pabėgėlisperson who has applied for asylum
- pabėgėlėperson who has applied for asylum
Māori kaikimi punanga
- kaikimi punangaperson who has applied for asylum
Norwegian Bokmål asylsøker
- asylsøkerperson who has applied for asylum
Persian پناهنده, پناهجو
- پناهنده (panâhande)person who has applied for asylum
- پناهجو (panâhju)person who has applied for asylum
Polish azylant, azylantka
- azylantperson who has applied for asylum
- azylantkaperson who has applied for asylum
- azylowiecperson who has applied for asylum
Portuguese asilado, requerente de asilo
- asiladoperson who has applied for asylum
- requerente de asiloperson who has applied for asylum
Romanian solicitant de azil, solicitantă de azil
- solicitant de azilperson who has applied for asylum
- solicitantă de azilperson who has applied for asylum
- refugiatperson who has applied for asylum
Russian лицо́, ищу́щее убе́жище, соиска́тель убе́жища
- лицо́, ищу́щее убе́жище (licó, iščúščeje ubéžišče)person who has applied for asylum
- соиска́тель убе́жища (soiskátelʹ ubéžišča)person who has applied for asylum
- соиска́тельница убе́жища (soiskátelʹnica ubéžišča)person who has applied for asylum
- бе́женец (béženec)person who has applied for asylum
- бе́женка (béženka)person who has applied for asylum
Scottish Gaelic fògarrach
- fògarrachperson who has applied for asylum
Slovak žiadateľ o azyl, žiadateľka o azyl
- žiadateľ o azylperson who has applied for asylum
- žiadateľka o azylperson who has applied for asylum
- azylantperson who has applied for asylum
- azylantkaperson who has applied for asylum
Spanish solicitante de asilo, asilante
- solicitante de asiloperson who has applied for asylum
- asilanteperson who has applied for asylum
Swedish asylsökande
- asylsökandeperson who has applied for asylum
Turkish sığınmacı
- sığınmacıperson who has applied for asylum
Ukrainian шука́ч приту́лку, шука́чка приту́лку
- шука́ч приту́лку (šukáč prytúlku)person who has applied for asylum
- шука́чка приту́лку (šukáčka prytúlku)person who has applied for asylum
Vietnamese người xin tị nạn, người xin tỵ nạn
- người xin tị nạnperson who has applied for asylum
- người xin tỵ nạnperson who has applied for asylum
Welsh ceisiwr lloches
- ceisiwr llochesperson who has applied for asylum
Cite this entry
APA
asylum seeker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asylum%20seeker
MLA
“asylum seeker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asylum%20seeker. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “asylum seeker,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asylum%20seeker.
Source: asylum seeker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.