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Synonyms

homesteading

American  
[hohm-sted-ing] / ˈhoʊmˌstɛd ɪŋ /

noun

  1. an act or instance of establishing a homestead.

  2. Also called urban homesteading.  Also called homesteading program,.  a federal program to improve deteriorating urban areas by offering abandoned or foreclosed houses to persons who agree to repair them and live in them for a specified number of years.

homesteading British  
/ ˈhəʊmˌstɛdɪŋ /

noun

    1. a scheme whereby council tenants are enabled to buy derelict property from the council and renovate it with the aid of Government grants

    2. ( as modifier )

      a homesteading scheme
"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 homesteading

First recorded in 1890–95, for earlier sense “homestead”; homestead + -ing 1

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.

Nead: If you think about someone like Bekah Martinez, a former contestant, she does more homesteading content now, and she’s so real and raw.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

McKinnon noted that she loves homesteading and has always wanted to do it, however, her true dream was being on “SNL.”

From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025

They are quietly managing empires and businesses of their own while telegraphing homesteading realness, shielding their own version of a “girlboss” reality.

From Slate • Dec. 2, 2024

In that time, she’s seen two periods of sharp growth: once at the start of the pandemic and now as viewers seek DIY homesteading hacks, gig-economy side hustles and, of course, free merch.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2023

I’d rather read the railroad pamphlets, which make homesteading sound as easy as rubbing a magic lamp.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.