sharecropper

noun

share·​crop·​per ˈsher-ˌkrä-pər How to pronounce sharecropper (audio)
: a tenant farmer especially in the southern U.S. who is provided with credit for seed, tools, living quarters, and food, who works the land, and who receives an agreed share of the value of the crop minus charges

Examples of sharecropper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 1924, among the thousands of Black Americans moving west was a Texas sharecropper family named Bradley. Patt Morrisoncolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2023 Her father lost his job, her mother struggled to find places that would sell them food, and her grandparents, who were sharecroppers, were evicted. A. Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez, Parents, 18 Jan. 2024 Bertie Herbert Bowman was born April 12, 1931, in Summerton, S.C., to sharecroppers. Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023 In a scene shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Gary — who was born to poor Florida sharecroppers and worked his way to becoming so successful he was featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous — and O’Keefe have a frank discussion about battling the odds. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 4 Oct. 2023 The son of sharecroppers, Mr. Bowman ran away from home at age 13, swept the Capitol steps and then became the longest-serving African American congressional staff member in history. Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023 The dark horse is also an enduring symbol in the history of painting, from Picasso to Bill Traylor, a sharecropper and farmhand born into slavery in Alabama who taught himself to paint at age 85 and for whom horses represented both freedom and exploitation. Emily Lordi, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023 Robert was a sharecropper who sometimes worked construction jobs to make ends meet, and Avie was a homemaker. Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023 His parents, sharecroppers from Texas, were part of a wave of migrant farmworkers who came to California after World War II in search of work. Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sharecropper.' 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

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sharecropper was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near sharecropper

Cite this Entry

“Sharecropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharecropper. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sharecropper

noun
share·​crop·​per ˈshe(ə)r-ˌkräp-ər How to pronounce sharecropper (audio)
ˈsha(ə)r-
: a farmer who works land for the owner in return for a share of the value of the crop

More from Merriam-Webster on sharecropper

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