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settlement

noun
set·​tle·​ment | \ ˈse-tᵊl-mÉ™nt How to pronounce settlement (audio) \

Definition of settlement

1 : the act or process of settling
2a : an act of bestowing or giving possession under legal sanction
b : the sum, estate, or income secured to one by such a settlement
3a : 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 Example Sentences Learn More about settlement

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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 The Israeli settlements in Hebron voted heavily in favor of religious nationalist parties in the previous election. — Washington Post, "Israeli PM pays pre-election trip to volatile West Bank city," 5 Sep. 2019 Awá indigeneous land, 1985 2016 Some 350 members of the Awá live in settlements in the same region, and maintain contact with the outside world. — Daniel Wolfe, Quartz, "Loggers are lighting fires inside the territory of uncontacted Amazon tribes," 30 Aug. 2019 Google reportedly reached a multimillion-dollar settlement over the case with the FTC in July. — Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "YouTube Kids: The video streaming app is launching a separate 'safer' website for children," 29 Aug. 2019 His future in Oakland is uncertain, as he could be released with an injury settlement in the near future. — Kalyn Kahler, SI.com, "An Unfiltered Look at NFL Training Camps Across the League," 29 Aug. 2019 While several companies have reached settlements in a few cases, some analysts have predicted opioid makers and distributors may have to pay a total of $100 billion to resolve their liability for the crisis. — Fortune, "J&J Shares Rise After Lower Than Expected Award for Company’s Part in Opioid Crisis," 27 Aug. 2019 In a lawsuit settlement in April, the state rescinded the advisory, agreed to other changes and pledged to pay plaintiffs $450,000 in attorney fees. — Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott taps Hispanic former aide as secretary of state after noncitizen voter flap," 19 Aug. 2019 Already, a decade ago, more than a dozen women reached undisclosed settlements against him in Florida. — Fox News, "'Orgy Island' to airplanes, Epstein's assets are up for grabs," 14 Aug. 2019 Many of the missions of El Paso have served their original purpose as religious and social centers continuously since their founding, making them some of the oldest settlements in the United States. — Kayla Bartsch, National Review, "In a Community Turned Upside Down by Tragedy, ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ Are Everything," 13 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'settlement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of settlement

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for settlement

settlement

noun
How to pronounce settlement (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of settlement

: a formal agreement or decision that ends an argument or dispute also : an amount of money that someone receives as part of such an agreement
: the act or process of settling an argument or disagreement
: the act of paying back money that is owed

See the full definition for settlement in the English Language Learners Dictionary

settlement

noun
set·​tle·​ment | \ ˈse-tᵊl-mÉ™nt How to pronounce settlement (audio) \

Kids Definition of settlement

1 : a formal agreement that ends an argument or dispute
2 : final payment (as of a bill)
3 : the act or fact of establishing colonies the settlement of New England
4 : a place or region newly settled
5 : a small village

settlement

noun
set·​tle·​ment

Legal Definition of settlement

1 : the act or process of settling
2a : 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

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