settlement

[ set-l-muh nt ]

/ ˈsɛt l mənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR settlement ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or state of settling or the state of being settled.

the act of making stable or putting on a permanent basis.

a state of stability or permanence.

an arrangement or adjustment, as of business affairs or a disagreement.

an agreement signed after labor negotiations between union and management.

the terms reached in this agreement.

the settling of persons in a new country or place.

a colony, especially in its early stages.

a small community, village, or group of houses in a thinly populated area.

a community formed and populated by members of a particular religious or ideological group: a Shaker settlement.

the satisfying of a claim or demand; a coming to terms.

Law.

final disposition of an estate or the like.
the settling of property, title, etc., upon a person.
the property so settled.

British.

legal residence in a specific place.
(of a pauper) the right to claim food and shelter from an official agency or specific town or district.

Also called settlement house. Social Work. an establishment in an underprivileged area providing social services to local residents.

a subsidence or sinking of all or part of a structure.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

settle on, settle someone's hash, settle up, settle with, settled, settlement, settlement house, settlement houses, settlement option, settlement worker, settler

Origin of settlement

First recorded in 1620–30; settle¹ + -ment

Related formsnon·set·tle·ment, nouno·ver·set·tle·ment, nounpre·set·tle·ment, nounre·set·tle·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for settlement

The president came to believe Shamir misled him on the settlement issue, or flat-out lied to him.
The Inside Story of U.S. Meddling in Israel’s Elections|Aaron David Miller|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jonathan Moore, who secured the $1.7 million settlement in the Stewart case, is representing them.
Before Eric Garner, There Was Michael Stewart: The Tragic Story of the Real-Life Radio Raheem|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The city of Cleveland recently reached a $3 million settlement with the Russell and Williams families.
The Cleveland Cops Who Fired 137 Shots and Cried Victim|Michael Daly|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A year later, the suit ended in a settlement, the details of which remain confidential.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This meant that Palestinian taxi drivers had to drive through the Israeli settlement of Bet El.
The Radicals Who Slaughtered a Synagogue|Creede Newton|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His fort was destroyed, his men were killed, his settlement was a failure.
The True Story of Christopher Columbus|Elbridge S. Brooks
The group of houses is Eleusis, now an Albanian settlement, and the chimneys belong to a factory where olive-oil soap is made.
The Near East|Robert Hichens
By these two treaties all the lands east of Fort Snelling were opened to settlement and commercial exploitation.
Old Fort Snelling|Marcus L. Hansen
The settlement of affairs should immediately be brought to a climax.
The Swedish-Norwegian Union Crisis|Karl Nordlund
As a result of a rash blow, the Maggugan's territory is invaded and his settlement is surrounded.
The Manbos of Mindano|John M. Garvan

British Dictionary definitions for settlement

settlement

/ (ˈsɛtəlmənt) /

noun

the act or state of settling or being settled

the establishment of a new region; colonization

a place newly settled; colony

a collection of dwellings forming a community, esp on a frontier

a community formed by members of a group, esp of a religious sect

a public building used to provide educational and general welfare facilities for persons living in deprived areas

a subsidence of all or part of a structure

the payment of an outstanding account, invoice, charge, etc
(as modifier)settlement day

an adjustment or agreement reached in matters of finance, business, etc

law

a conveyance, usually to trustees, of property to be enjoyed by several persons in succession
the deed or other instrument conveying such property
the determination of a dispute, etc, by mutual agreement without resorting to legal proceedings

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

Word Origin and History for settlement

settlement

1620s, "act of fixing or steadying;" from settle (v.) + -ment. Meaning "a colony," especially a new one, "tract of country newly developed" is attested from 1690s; that of "small village on the frontier" is from 1827, American English. Sense of "payment of an account" is from 1729; legal sense "a settling of arrangements" (of divorce, property transfer, etc.) is from 1670s.