homesteader

noun

home·​stead·​er ˈhōm-ˌste-dər How to pronounce homesteader (audio)
plural homesteaders
: someone who homesteads:
a
: someone who acquires, settles on, or occupies land under a homestead law (see homestead law sense 2)
As more homesteaders arrived, they took more and more Native American land.Ann Byers
Her grandmother came to Kansas in a covered wagon as a homesteader in 1883 …Mark Binelli
b
: someone who lives frugally or self-sufficiently (as on a homestead) especially by growing and preserving food
There are modern-day homesteaders who have traded contemporary conveniences such as … a reliable internet connection to grow much of their own food and—as much as possible—live off the land …Chris Moody
We are city homesteaders. We have a 100-foot lot and make the most of it.Faye Waloch
As a homesteader, you might even fish as a means to put more food on the table.Kacey Mya
Many homesteaders make their own soaps, skin care items, and herbal remedies or sew or knit their own clothing, and in other ways reduce the need for shopping and consumerism.Kristin Lie-Nielsen

Examples of homesteader in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024 Pahl, originally from Ohio, came to Alaska in 1980 to become a homesteader. Jenna Kunze, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Sep. 2022 Ultimately, Ludvig’s is the story of a homesteader, and Arcel treats it with the iconography and grandeur of a classic western, Scandinavian style. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024 Ultimately, Ludvig’s is the story of a homesteader, and Arcel treats it with the iconography and grandeur of a classic Western, Scandinavian style. Katie Walsh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2024 Rudolf and Hedwig saw themselves as homesteaders, fulfilling the Nazi ideal of reclaiming rural territory for the master race. Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024 Black homesteaders had set up communities and farms in an attempt to chart their own destinies — including in California — only for some of these settlements to be overrun, seized or burned down in racially motivated attacks. Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Though these buildings were removed after the war (many of them repurposed nearby for homesteaders who won land grants), this is one of the main places Japanese American survivors and descendants want and need to visit. Tamiko Nimura, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Dec. 2023 His grandfather, John Elmore, a poor son of a Missouri preacher, arrived in California’s Imperial Valley in 1908 and dug ditches to deliver water to homesteaders. Janet Wilson, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homesteader.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of homesteader was in 1865

Dictionary Entries Near homesteader

Cite this Entry

“Homesteader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homesteader. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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