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.

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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

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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

The decision also prevents those involved with the case - including Trump and his sons - from referring to the settlement or citing its terms in future legal proceedings.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

She noted that no settlement was officially recorded in the case.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

"That only prolongs what will eventually happen: a negotiated settlement."

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Why would we choose the $2,000 settlement if the salvage offer is only $400?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

She created the first American settlement house, a home in Chicago where poor and middle-class women lived together.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

An analyst at the investment bank calls the recommendations “a kick in the teeth” for the real-estate settlements platform, but reckons the impact may not be as bad as it looks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

In 2024, the city paid out $289 million in settlements and jury verdicts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Legal settlements with some of the American’s biggest companies also proved to be a lucrative source of income.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

There were more than 70 undertakings that delivered annual income of about $1 million or more, ranging from golf clubs to legal settlements, and from crypto businesses to licensing deals.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

I couldn’t see the lights from the lakeside settlements anymore, but I dimly made out dark shapes sticking up through the water—submerged trees!

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

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