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settlement

American  
[set-l-muhnt] / ˈsɛt l mənt /

noun

  1. the act or state of settling or the state of being settled.

  2. the act of making stable or putting on a permanent basis.

  3. a state of stability or permanence.

  4. an arrangement or adjustment, as of business affairs or a disagreement.

  5. an agreement signed after labor negotiations between union and management.

  6. the terms reached in this agreement.

  7. the settling of persons in a new country or place.

  8. a colony, especially in its early stages.

  9. a small community, village, or group of houses in a thinly populated area.

  10. a community formed and populated by members of a particular religious or ideological group.

    a Shaker settlement.

  11. the satisfying of a claim or demand; a coming to terms.

  12. Law.

    1. final disposition of an estate or the like.

    2. the settling settle settling of property, title, etc., upon a person.

    3. the property so settled. settle.

  13. British.

    1. legal residence in a specific place.

    2. (of a pauper) the right to claim food and shelter from an official agency or specific town or district.

  14. Also called settlement house.  Social Work. an establishment in an underprivileged area providing social services to local residents.

  15. a subsidence or sinking of all or part of a structure.

settlement British  
/ ˈsɛtəlmənt /

noun

  1. the act or state of settling or being settled

  2. the establishment of a new region; colonization

  3. a place newly settled; colony

  4. a collection of dwellings forming a community, esp on a frontier

  5. a community formed by members of a group, esp of a religious sect

  6. a public building used to provide educational and general welfare facilities for persons living in deprived areas

  7. a subsidence of all or part of a structure

    1. the payment of an outstanding account, invoice, charge, etc

    2. ( as modifier )

      settlement day

  9. an adjustment or agreement reached in matters of finance, business, etc

  10. law

    1. a conveyance, usually to trustees, of property to be enjoyed by several persons in succession

    2. the deed or other instrument conveying such property

    3. the determination of a dispute, etc, by mutual agreement without resorting to legal proceedings

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonsettlement noun
  • oversettlement noun
  • presettlement noun
  • resettlement noun

Etymology

Origin of settlement

First recorded in 1620–30; settle 1 + -ment

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The details of the latest settlement have not been disclosed.

From BBC

Hundreds of workplace-injury suits are filed daily, many ending in large settlements.

From The Wall Street Journal

After helping clients sort through estate settlement tasks, Walter wasn’t necessarily surprised by the bad grades, but more so by the good ones.

From MarketWatch

Under the terms of the settlement the details of any compensation to the workers are not being disclosed.

From BBC

The companies are still defendants in other lawsuits, and details of the settlements haven’t been disclosed.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.