asylum
asy|lum /əs'aɪləm/ (asylums)
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
If a government gives a person from another country asylum, they allow them to stay, usually because they are unable to return home safely for political reasons.
He applied for asylum in 1987 after fleeing the police back home.
= sanctuary
2 [N-COUNT]
An asylum is a psychiatric hospital. (OLD-FASHIONED)asy|lum seek|er (asylum seekers)
[N-COUNT]
An asylum seeker is a person who is trying to get asylum in a foreign country.
Fewer than 7% of asylum seekers are accepted as political refugees.lu|na|tic asy|lum (lunatic asylums)
[N-COUNT]
A lunatic asylum was a place where mentally disturbed people used to be locked up. (OLD-FASHIONED)po|liti|cal asy|lum
[N-UNCOUNT]
Political asylum is the right to live in a foreign country and is given by the government of that country to people who have to leave their own country for political reasons.
...a university teacher who is seeking political asylum in Britain...
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
If a government gives a person from another country asylum, they allow them to stay, usually because they are unable to return home safely for political reasons.
He applied for asylum in 1987 after fleeing the police back home.
= sanctuary
2 [N-COUNT]
An asylum is a psychiatric hospital. (OLD-FASHIONED)asy|lum seek|er (asylum seekers)
[N-COUNT]
An asylum seeker is a person who is trying to get asylum in a foreign country.
Fewer than 7% of asylum seekers are accepted as political refugees.lu|na|tic asy|lum (lunatic asylums)
[N-COUNT]
A lunatic asylum was a place where mentally disturbed people used to be locked up. (OLD-FASHIONED)po|liti|cal asy|lum
[N-UNCOUNT]
Political asylum is the right to live in a foreign country and is given by the government of that country to people who have to leave their own country for political reasons.
...a university teacher who is seeking political asylum in Britain...