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Synonyms

homestead

1 American  
[hohm-sted, -stid] / ˈhoʊm stɛd, -stɪd /

noun

  1. a dwelling with its land and buildings, occupied by the owner as a home and exempted by a homestead law from seizure or sale for debt.

  2. any dwelling with its land and buildings where a family makes its home.

  3. a tract of land acquired under the Homestead Act.

  4. a house in an urban area acquired under a homesteading program.

verb (used with object)

  1. to acquire or settle on (land) as a homestead.

    Pioneers homesteaded the valley.

verb (used without object)

  1. to acquire or settle on a homestead.

    They homesteaded many years ago.
Homestead 2 American  
[hohm-sted, -stid] / ˈhoʊm stɛd, -stɪd /

noun

  1. a town in S Florida.

homestead British  
/ -stɪd, ˈhəʊmˌstɛd /

noun

  1. a house or estate and the adjoining land, buildings, etc, esp a farm

  2. (in the US) a house and adjoining land designated by the owner as his fixed residence and exempt under the homestead laws from seizure and forced sale for debts

  3. (in western Canada) a piece of land, usually 160 acres, granted to a settler by the federal government

  4. the owner's or manager's residence on a sheep or cattle station; in New Zealand the term includes all outbuildings

"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

Etymology

Origin of homestead

First recorded before 1000; Old English hāmstede; equivalent to home + stead

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.

We drove 6½ hours to the mountains of Southwest Virginia to visit my mom’s remote homestead on Ramsey’s Ridge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

“More importantly, the state has complex laws about community property, homestead exemptions, and tax implications that can dramatically affect how your assets pass to your heirs.”

From MarketWatch • Nov. 3, 2025

Odinga was buried nearby at his late father's homestead, where there is a family mausoleum.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2025

While the severity of his injury wasn’t immediately clear, the $182-million offseason signing will be out at least through the end of next week’s homestead.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2025

And so in this place and that, by burned homestead or barn, upon hillock or mound, under wall or on field, still they gathered and rallied and fought until the day wore away.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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.