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

The claim-jumper, watching the bench land through a pair of field glasses, saw a herd of cows and calves scattered and feeding contentedly upon the young grass a mile or so away.

From The Flying U's Last Stand by Bower, B. M.

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

A shifty critter was Comstock, trapper, fur-trader, gambler, claim-jumper, mine-salter, sneak-thief, an' everything else.

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

Mr. Hames is what you could call a professional claim-jumper, and it’s fortunate that there’s a weak spot or two in his career.”

From The Greater Power by Dunton, W. Herbert