settlement

American  

[set-l-muhnt] / ˈsɛt l mənt /

noun

• settlements
  plural

1. the act or state of settling or the state of being settled.

2. the act of making stable or putting on a permanent basis.

3. a state of stability or permanence.

4. an arrangement or adjustment, as of business affairs or a disagreement.

5. an agreement signed after labor negotiations between union and management.

6. the terms reached in this agreement.

7. the settling of persons in a new country or place.

8. a colony, especially in its early stages.

9. a small community, village, or group of houses in a thinly populated area.

10. a community formed and populated by members of a particular religious or ideological group.

    a Shaker settlement.

11. the satisfying of a claim or demand; a coming to terms.

12. Law.

    1. final disposition of an estate or the like.

    2. the settling of property, title, etc., upon a person.

    3. the property so settled.

13. British.

    1. legal residence in a specific place.

    2. (of a pauper) the right to claim food and shelter from an official agency or specific town or district.

14. Also called settlement house.  Social Work. an establishment in an underprivileged area providing social services to local residents.

15. a subsidence or sinking of all or part of a structure.

---

settlement British  

/ ˈsɛtəlmənt /

noun

1. the act or state of settling or being settled

2. the establishment of a new region; colonization

3. a place newly settled; colony

4. a collection of dwellings forming a community, esp on a frontier

5. a community formed by members of a group, esp of a religious sect

6. a public building used to provide educational and general welfare facilities for persons living in deprived areas

7. a subsidence of all or part of a structure

8. 1. the payment of an outstanding account, invoice, charge, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      settlement day

9. an adjustment or agreement reached in matters of finance, business, etc

10. law

    1. a conveyance, usually to trustees, of property to be enjoyed by several persons in succession

    2. the deed or other instrument conveying such property

    3. the determination of a dispute, etc, by mutual agreement without resorting to legal proceedings

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsettlement
  noun
• oversettlement
  noun
• presettlement
  noun
• resettlement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• settlements
  plural

Etymology

Origin of settlement

First recorded in 1620–30; settle ¹ + -ment

Explanation

A settlement is a colony or any small community of people. If a bunch of people build houses on the moon together, they’ll have the first lunar settlement. A settlement is also the resolution of something such as a lawsuit. One kind of settlement is a place where people live. This can be a community that's smaller than a town, like a village. Also, if one country establishes a colony somewhere else, that can be called a settlement. The other kind of settlement happens when something is settled, like the end of a disagreement. A lawsuit is ended if there's a settlement — both parties make an agreement that often involves money. A settlement brings closure and resolution.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

settlement settlements

Former executives and insiders agreed to a $125 million settlement in a related class action.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

Apple and the DOJ are discussing a potential settlement before the case goes to trial, according to a July report from Bloomberg.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

The White House teleprompter operator under investigation for placing bets using proprietary information faces penalties from the Kalshi prediction market and federal regulators after reaching a settlement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

It reached a $400m settlement with the firm's owner earlier this year.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

The perfect place for a settlement, and where Nyla’s target was projected.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

By their nature, lawsuits and settlements are public, but the enforcement division didn’t speak publicly about its actions apart from its filings.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

The difficult conditions in Nepal's remote settlements have forced rescuers to depend heavily on helicopters, often the only viable means of reaching stranded communities.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

The use of the dollar in international settlements reduces exchange-rate risks and transaction costs, keeps demand for dollars high, and maintains its buying power for families working to achieve their American Dream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Edison is offering settlements to victims of the Eaton fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

And Kaan is just one of the score of Maya settlements that in the last few decades have been investigated for the first time.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• agreement
• arrangement
• compensation
• contract
• deal
• establishment
• payment
• resolution