squatter

[skwot-er]

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.

squatter

/ 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

• squatterdom noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of squatter¹

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

Example Sentences

In 1850, Sacramento’s sheriff and mayor died while attempting to remove white squatters, in what was quickly deemed the Squatter Riot.

From Los Angeles Times

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

The decision came after years of financial trouble with buildings in disrepair and disarray, replete with squatters, crime, nonfunctional elevators and clogged and broken toilets.

From Los Angeles Times

Do workers need to be on the lookout for squatters?

From Los Angeles Times

The trailers attracted squatters who converted the lot into a makeshift homeless encampment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• settler