squatter

[skwot-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that squats.

2. a person who settles on land or occupies property without title, right, or payment of rent.

3. a person who settles on land under government regulation, in order to acquire title.

squatter

/ ˈskwɒtə /

noun

1. a person who occupies property or land to which he has no legal title

2. 1. (formerly) a person who occupied a tract of land, esp pastoral land, as tenant of the Crown

   2. a farmer of sheep or cattle on a large scale

3. (in New Zealand) a 19th-century settler who took up large acreage on a Crown lease

Other Word Forms

• squatterdom noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of squatter¹

First recorded in 1775–85; squat + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The corner lot on which the club stands is now surrounded by hundreds of dilapidated and abandoned buildings occupied by squatters.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The site had drawn squatters, and nearby homeowners voiced concerns about crime and potential fires.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They may have been given more to do than Lockhart — the Netflix series is excellent — but they are still squatters on space that she cleared, and will own forever.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In 1850, Sacramento’s sheriff and mayor died while attempting to remove white squatters, in what was quickly deemed the Squatter Riot.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In his video, Mr Perry said when squatters were staying in the building it had been "sectioned off into bedrooms" and "rented out to people in the most vulnerable of conditions".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• settler