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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• squatterdom
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• squatters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of squatter

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

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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

Or is about to when she realizes her squatter is Misty Green, minor celebrity, and so grants her a week until eviction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

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

Patent and Trademark Office, Tesla said Unibev was “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

Animal control officers from Pasadena Humane confirmed that a bear was living under an Altadena house Sunday but could not be sure if the latest bear squatter was the same bruin from the earlier incident.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026

“Built by a fellow, oh, twenty years ago,” said Pa. “He was a squatter who pitched a tent in the woods and built that outhouse.”

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Graffiti covered its charred facade, and it became a source of frustration for the neighborhood, attracting squatters and illegal garbage dumping.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025

He said the former library building, which is being repurposed into an Asian Resource Centre, had also had squatters living in it.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025

East Bank was where the government had gone in, cleared out the squatters and their shacks, and started to build actual homes.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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Related Words

• settler

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