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 region's largest settlement was home to the Tocobaga, while smaller Mocoso, Pohoy, and Uzita chiefdoms were scattered nearby.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Although the settlement establishes a workforce fund to retrain displaced workers, lawyers note it does not block job cuts.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

"Nothing in the settlement limits layoffs," attorney Gilliam added.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

His commitment to release that many movies is now legally enforceable, as part of a settlement Paramount made to resolve an antitrust lawsuit from 12 state attorneys general who sought to block the deal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

The journey was long and harsh, and by the time they made it to Idaho, to a Mormon settlement called Worm Creek, Anna’s mother was sick, dying.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

In its core regions, Indigenous communities became organized into political hierarchies, with powerful chiefdoms exerting influence over surrounding settlements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

The motion also leaves UC as a major holdout after a string of settlements in which universities facing antisemitism investigations agreed to pay a combined total of hundreds of millions of dollars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Separately, Polanski has also written to Miliband, asking what steps the government would take to make sure revenue from UK oil and gas production did not finance illegal settlements.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

They started winning lawsuits and settlements from the NCAA.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The voyage supposedly took three years, with frequent stops in the foul-sailing season to build temporary settlements and sow crops for the next year’s push.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

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