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

• colonial
• colonist
• colonizer
• frontiersman
• homesteader
• pioneer

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

But European settlers and trappers killed off most of the big cats living in the eastern two-thirds of the continent. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025

Biden’s sanctions on some West Bank settlers were eliminated. —Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2025

At the time, the Homestead Act of 1862 promised settlers 160 acres, sparking a mass migration across the Midwestern state. —Sean Neumann, People.com, 1 June 2025

Israeli settler movement to the West Bank and the expansion of communities has accelerated since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 29 May 2025

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