a person who is voluntarily absent from home or country
"American expatriates"
An expatriate; a person who lives outside their own country.
"After working in London for five years, Maria returned to her hometown as an expat from Spain."
In plain English: An expat is someone who lives outside their own country for work or other reasons.
"My neighbor is an expat who moved to Spain last year to learn Spanish."
Usage: The term is often used informally to refer specifically to Westerners living abroad, whereas the neutral "expatriate" applies to anyone residing in another country. Avoid using "expat" as an adjective before a noun (e.g., "an expat life"); instead, place it after the noun or use "ex-patriated."
The word expat is a shortened form of expatriate. It entered English as an informal abbreviation to describe someone living outside their native country.