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homestead law

American  

noun

  1. any law exempting homesteads from seizure or sale for debt.

  2. any law making public lands available to settlers to be used as farms.

  3. any of various state laws granting special property tax exemptions or other privileges to homesteaders.


homestead law British  

noun

  1. (in the US and Canada) any of various laws conferring certain privileges on owners of homesteads

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of homestead law

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

There is one caveat when it comes to Mar-a-Lago, however, which is Florida’s homestead law.

From Slate ● Mar. 21, 2024

In the case of the homestead law, the provision varies from state to state.

From Time Magazine Archive

Some delinquent borrowers have tried to seek refuge behind Texas' homestead law, which shelters a debtor's home from hungry creditors.

From Time Magazine Archive

He promised a homestead law to give the guajiro squatters title to the poor mountain plots they farm.

From Time Magazine Archive

This led to a review of our political policy, the homestead law, the abolition of slavery, good money always redeemable in coin, the development of manufactures and the diversity of employments.

From Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet An Autobiography. by John Sherman

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