claim-jumper

American  

[kleym-juhm-per] / ˈkleɪmˌdʒʌm pər /

noun

1. a person who seizes another's claim of land, especially for mineral rights.

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Other Word Forms

• claim-jumping
  noun

Etymology

Origin of claim-jumper

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

A frontier farm woman saves the life of a claim-jumper and persuades him to help her escort three insane women to a safe haven in Iowa.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2020

Men too sick to walk crawled out to their claims an' died there, scary lest some claim-jumper should seize their claims.

From The Boy With the U.S. Miners by Rolt-Wheeler, Francis

The gray old claim-jumper had this to redeem him, at least.

From The Sky Line of Spruce by Marshall, Edison

You make about the poorest kind of claim-jumper I ever ran up against, and I've handled quite a few in my time.

From A Damaged Reputation by Bindloss, Harold

The man must have been a claim-jumper, and meant to steal those papers.

From A Damaged Reputation by Bindloss, Harold