settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment ˈse-tᵊl-mənt 

1

: the act or process of settling

2

a

: an act of bestowing or giving possession under legal sanction

b

: the sum, estate, or income secured to one by such a settlement

3

a

: 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 of settlement

• agreement
• pact
• convention

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, millions of dollars from national opioid settlements are flowing into all 95 counties. —Kelly Puente, Nashville Tennessean, 14 Dec. 2025

The tribe is entitled to 665,000 acre-feet of water based on a longstanding settlement completed in 2004. —Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 14 Dec. 2025

The latest round of attacks came after Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Friday that Russian police and National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine's Donbas and oversee the industry-rich region, even if a peace settlement ends Russia's nearly four-year war in Ukraine. —CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025

King Charles reportedly has a home for him at Sandringham and is set to provide him with a six-figure settlement for breaking his 75-year lease, as well as a financial annuity. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing settlement

• out-of-court settlement
• pre-settlement
• settlement house
• viatical settlement

Rhymes for settlement

• resettlement

Kids Definition

settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment ˈset-ᵊl-mənt 

1

: the act of settling : the condition of being settled

2

: final payment (as of a bill)

3

a

: a place or region newly settled

b

: a small village

4

: settlement house

Legal Definition

settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment

1

: the act or process of settling

2

a

: 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