settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment ˈse-tᵊl-mənt How to pronounce settlement (audio)
Synonyms of settlementnext
1
: the act or process of settling
2
a
: an act of bestowing or giving possession under legal sanction
b
: the sum, estate, or income secured to one by such a settlement
3
a
: occupation by settlers
b
: a place or region newly settled
c
: a small village
4
: settlement house
5
: an agreement composing differences
6
: payment or adjustment of an account

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of settlement in a Sentence

I got the house in the divorce settlement. The parties have not been able to reach a settlement in the case. We were hoping for a quick settlement of the dispute between the neighbors. English settlements in North America. This was the island's first colonial settlement. They came upon the ruins of an ancient settlement.
Recent Examples on the Web The deadline to sign up for a class action settlement with Verizon Wireless is Monday. —James Powel, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024 Like many early settlements worried about invaders, Castelfalfi was built on a hill. —Katie Jackson, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024 Roanoke Island was the site of the mysterious Lost Colony, an English settlement that vanished in the 1580s. —Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2024 While Regan was the secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, the state got a milestone settlement that levied a $12 million fine against chemical giant Chemours for dumping PFAS into the Cape Fear River. —Jen Christensen, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024 The city tried to resolve the case in mediation, but was unable to reach a settlement, a spokesperson said in an email to the Star-Telegram. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024 The Walmart case was resolved in 2022 with an undisclosed settlement, and Target is engaged in settlement talks. —Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2024 There have been several major settlements in recent years by chemical companies over PFAS contamination, a notable one being a $10.3 billion settlement reached by 3M in June 2023. —Tracy J. Wholf, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024 But the settlement covers 180 brokerages with a total volume of $1.7 trillion last year. —Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'settlement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of settlement was in 1648

Phrases Containing settlement

Dictionary Entries Near settlement

settled production

settlement

settlement day

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Settlement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/settlement. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

settlement

noun
set·​tle·​ment ˈset-ᵊl-mənt How to pronounce settlement (audio)
1
: the act of settling : the condition of being settled
2
: final payment (as of a bill)
3
a
: a place or region newly settled
b
: a small village
4
: settlement house

Legal Definition

settlement

noun
set·​tle·​ment
1
: the act or process of settling
2
a
: an agreement reducing or resolving differences
especially : an agreement between litigants that concludes the litigation
the states finally agreed upon a settlement and a consent decree —W. J. Brennan, Jr.
entered into a property settlement prior to the divorce
b
: a formal and permanent grant or conveyance
c
: the sum, estate, or income granted or paid under a settlement
if the monetary limits of a defendant's insurance policy can be discovered in order to obtain reasonable settlements—J. H. Friedenthal et al.
3
: closing
settlement costs
4
: the transfer of funds between a payor bank and a collecting bank in order to complete transactions for customers

More from Merriam-Webster on settlement

Nglish: Translation of settlement for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of settlement for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about settlement

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

A Great Big List of Bread Words

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels

12 More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

9 Superb Owl Words
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game You can make only 12 words. Pick the best ones!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...