asylum
noun
asy·lum
| \ ə-ˈsī-ləm
\
\
Definition of asylum
1
: an inviolable place of refuge and protection giving shelter to criminals and debtors : sanctuary
3a
: the protection or security afforded by an asylum : refuge
b
: protection from arrest and extradition given especially to political refugees by a nation or by an embassy or other agency enjoying freedom from what is required by law for most people
4
somewhat old-fashioned
: an institution providing care and protection to needy individuals (such as the infirm or destitute) and especially the mentally ill
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Examples of asylum in a Sentence
She asked for political asylum.
She was granted asylum after it was made clear that she would be killed if she returned to her native country.
Recent Examples on the Web
The office did provide national data that shows out of the 925,278 pending cases in removal, deportation, exclusion and asylum-only proceedings so far in 2019, 67% of the detainees were represented by an attorney. — oregonlive, "For Oregon immigrants detained by feds, Tacoma lock-up’s cost, distance pose huge barriers," 4 Sep. 2019 The only beings to escape the conflagration are four Saranga birds, Takshaka’s son Aswasena, whose mother sacrifices herself to save him, and the artificer Maya, who finds asylum at Arjuna’s feet. — Girish Shahane, Quartz India, "The Amazon fires have a 3,000-year-old parallel in the Indian epic Mahabharata," 30 Aug. 2019 There was also a recent effort to effectively end asylum altogether at the southern border. — Amy Taxin, The Denver Post, "Trump moves to end limits on detention of migrant children," 21 Aug. 2019 Local immigration authorities were releasing hundreds of asylum-seeking families, most of them from Central America. — CBS News, "Advocates say "Remain in Mexico" policy turns migrants into a "marketable commodity"," 15 Aug. 2019 Over the past year, the president’s bigoted rhetoric and signaling escalated with barrages of tweets attacking congressional members of color and asylum seekers, which spurned debate in newsrooms over how to best articulate the meaning of his words. — Syreeta Mcfadden, The Atlantic, "What Toni Morrison Knew About Trump," 13 Aug. 2019 Against all odds, the government was granting Carlos one more chance at asylum. — Melissa Del Bosque, ProPublica, "The Case That Made an Ex-ICE Attorney Realize the Government Was Relying on False “Evidence” Against Migrants," 13 Aug. 2019 US Border Patrol is breaking up asylum-seeking families if the parents are HIV positive, an official told Congress today, contradicting existing US policy. — Heather Timmons, Quartz, "US border patrol is separating kids from their HIV+ parents, official confirms," 25 July 2019 The White House wants Congress to pass laws that would grant authorities more flexibility to deport unaccompanied minors and asylum-seeking families. — Anchorage Daily News, "Trump says ICE raids to start Sunday, emphasizing purge of criminal immigrants," 13 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'asylum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for asylum
asylum
noun
English Language Learners Definition of asylum
: protection given by a government to someone who has left another country in order to escape being harmed
old-fashioned
: a hospital where people who are mentally ill are cared for especially for long periods of time : a mental hospital
See the full definition for asylum in the English Language Learners Dictionary
asylum
noun
asy·lum
| \ ə-ˈsī-ləm
\
\
Kids Definition of asylum
1
: a place of protection and shelter
They sought asylum from the storm.
2
: protection given especially to political refugees
3
: a place for the care of the poor or the physically or mentally ill
asylum
noun
asy·lum
| \ ə-ˈsī-ləm
\
\
Medical Definition of asylum
: an institution providing care and protection to needy individuals (such as the infirm or destitute) and especially the mentally ill
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asylum
noun
asy·lum
| \ ə-ˈsī-ləm
\
\
Legal Definition of asylum
: protection from arrest and extradition given especially to political refugees by a nation or by an embassy or other agency that has diplomatic immunity
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