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. in Australia
   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 Words From

• squatter·dom noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of squatter¹

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

Example Sentences

In “The Lady in the Van,” the tragedy of Smith’s odorous squatter Mary Shepherd is revealed only after her surprisingly touching death.

From Los Angeles Times

She excelled on stage and screen in Alan Bennett’s “The Lady in the Van,” playing a crotchety squatter with an imperious sense of entitlement.

From Los Angeles Times

“In addition to Benny Safdie, who was so unsettling as ‘The Curse’s’ creepy-sad reality TV producer, here’s hoping voters also nominate Barkhad Abdi, who was mesmerizingly stoic as a local squatter named Abshir,” says Kristen Baldwin.

From Los Angeles Times

This was a squatter camp outside Johannesburg in 1994 as South Africa prepared to vote in its first non-racial elections.

From BBC

As the sun rose, the squatter camp gradually vanished under the earth.

From BBC

Related Words

• settler