squatter

American  

[skwot-er] / ˈskwɒt ər /

noun

• squatters
  plural

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 British  

/ 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

Derived Forms

• squatterdom
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• squatters
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of squatter

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

---

Explanation

A squatter is someone who lives on unoccupied land or in a vacant building without permission from the owner. Some squatters move into abandoned homes because they have nowhere else to live, while others are part of social movements that see squatting as a response to political and economic systems that have made housing inaccessible for many. While in some places it's a crime to be a squatter, other jurisdictions view squatting as a conflict between the squatter and the owner. An earlier definition of squatter was "settler who doesn't (yet) have a title to the land."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squatter squatters

Right-hander Gibson, whose power is less startling given her squatter frame, can crunch the ball straight but is more adept in finding boundaries behind square.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

A room built for the NFL Rams and co-occupied by the squatter Chargers felt like a proper football cathedral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

Patent and Trademark Office, Tesla described its adversary as “a bad-faith trademark squatter, who started as a Tesla fan,” and described the French company’s attempt to trademark the Cybercab moniker as fraudulent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026

She excelled on stage and screen in Alan Bennett’s “The Lady in the Van,” playing a crotchety squatter with an imperious sense of entitlement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024

Scott said, “If I am going to help you I must be one of you,” and he proceeded to move to the squatter camp and start a congregation there.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Some squatters stayed behind, Ridi said, and in recent weeks they have stolen his sleep, privacy and sense of security.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

The buildings that housed a prideful labor force are vandalized, colonized by squatters or boarded up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026

A security guard stood in front of the cabana to stop any would-be squatters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

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".

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025

They overwhelmed the forts at present-day Detroit and Dearborn and drove thousands of squatters from settlements all over Illinois and Indiana territories.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• settler

---