settlement

[set-l-muh nt]

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.

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

Related Words for settlement

deal, establishment, agreement, contract, arrangement, compensation, resolution, payment, completion, compact, confirmation, liquidation, determination, payoff, reimbursement, showdown, satisfaction, clearance, covenant, pay

Examples from the Web for settlement

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of settlement

They had no children and this settlement assured them a peaceful old age.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
The draught of the settlement you may see whenever you will.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
He might begin to talk and maybe they could arrange a settlement.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
The history of her first settlement at Liesse, in Picardy, is thus related.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox
As to the settlement of poor papa's affairs, my interest in that is not very selfish.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for settlement

settlement

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

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.