settler

noun

set·​tler ˈse-tᵊl-ər 

ˈset-lər

1

: one that settles something

a settler of disputes

2

: someone who settles in a new region or colony

the first settlers of New England

Synonyms of settler

• pioneer
• colonist

Examples of settler in a Sentence

settlers learning to live in peace with the natives

in 1889 Jane Addams, in an effort to provide Chicago's latest wave of settlers with much-needed services, founded the city's first settlement house

Recent Examples on the Web

Netanyahu’s government is dominated by settlers and their allies, including the Cabinet minister who oversees the police. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

The Samaria regional council said the killed man, Netanel Shakron, was a settler who had been bathing at a spring ahead of Yom Kippur. — Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026

According to the Burke Museum, passenger pigeons were once the most abundant bird in North America, numbering in the billions and accounting for close to 40% of the continent’s land birds when European settlers arrived in the 19th century. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026

By 1789, settlers were paying $30 per scalp of Indigenous warriors. — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing settler

• settler colonial
• settler colonialism
• settler-colonialist
• settler colony

Kids Definition

settler

noun

set·​tler ˈset-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

: a person who settles in a new region : colonist