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

In January 2010, Mayorga reached an out-of-court settlement with Ronaldo’s lawyers — the footballer was not present at mediation — and received $375,000 in return for agreeing never to go public with the accusations, and for the settlement not to be viewed as an admission of guilt. —Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 16 June 2026

The Knicks’ use of blue and orange is also tied to the official colors of New York City, which traces its roots to the Dutch flag that flew over the original settlement of New Amsterdam. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026

Who knows whether Elon Musk will ever manage to establish human settlements on Mars, or factories on the moon, or even if orbital AI data centers can be made to work. —Andy Browne, semafor.com, 16 June 2026

Kawar has devoted much of her life to documenting, collecting, and showcasing embroidered clothing, jewellery, and objects of daily life from settlements across West Asia. —News Desk, Artforum, 16 June 2026

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