squatter

American  

[skwot-er] / ˈskwɒt ər /

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.

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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

• squatterdom noun

Etymology

Origin of squatter

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

Example Sentences

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

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

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From The Wall Street Journal

“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 Literature

Related Words

• settler