homestead

1 of 2

noun

home·​stead ˈhōm-ˌsted 

-stid

1

a

: the home and adjoining land occupied by a family

b

: an ancestral home

c

: house

2

: a tract of land acquired from U.S. public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating the tract

homestead

2 of 2

verb

home·​stead ˈhōm-ˌsted 

homesteaded; homesteading; homesteads

transitive verb

: to acquire or occupy (land) as a homestead

Piet drove over the nearly impassable mountains from Capetown to homestead his two farms …

—Julian Moynihan

… he wants his children and grandchildren to be able to work the rich soil homesteaded by their ancestors in the 1800s.

—James Anderson

intransitive verb

1

: to acquire or settle on land under a homestead law (see homestead law sense 2)

Parker's maternal relatives were homesteading way out on the Texas frontier in 1836, south of modern Dallas, lured there by generous land grants offered by the Mexican government.

—David Holahan

2

: to live frugally or self-sufficiently (as on a homestead) especially by growing and preserving food

They homestead on about 4 acres with a 5,000 square foot garden, greenhouse and an enclosed porch that they use as an additional greenhouse.

—The Paper of Montgomery County (Crawfordsville, Indiana)

The food insecurity of my childhood undoubtedly informed my decision to homestead as an adult. … We have chickens and ducks, and my husband grows an organic garden that supplies well over half of our family's food for the year.

—Crystal Sands

Examples of homestead in a Sentence

Noun

They decided to farm the old homestead.

Verb

They homesteaded the territory in the 1860s.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The homestead exemption does not apply to school interest and sinking taxes, which is a component of the property tax rate that goes toward debt from bond elections. —Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

Here are the two exemptions: Homeowners age 65 and older: The homestead exemption applies to a primary home owned and occupied on Jan. 1 of the reassessment year. —Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

Verb

The home is not homesteaded, a designation that limits property tax increases when the owner declares it as their primary residence. —Kimberly Miller, USA Today, 13 June 2025

But the public understanding of homesteading as a political act has flip-flopped across the aisle since the 19th century. —Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1867, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing homestead

• homestead law

Rhymes for homestead

• abovesaid
• aforesaid
• arrowhead
• casinghead
• copperhead
• figurehead
• fountainhead
• gingerbread
• hammerhead
• infrared
• leatherhead
• letterhead

Kids Definition

homestead

1 of 2 noun

home·​stead -ˌsted 

1

: a home and surrounding land

2

: a piece of land acquired from U.S. public lands by living on and cultivating it

homestead

2 of 2 verb

: to acquire or settle on public land for use as a homestead

homesteader

-ˌsted-ər

noun

Legal Definition

homestead

noun

home·​stead ˈhōm-ˌsted, -stid 

1

a

: the home and adjoining land with any buildings that is occupied usually by a family as its principal residence

b

: an estate created by law in a homestead especially for the purpose of taking advantage of a homestead exemption

2

: a tract of land acquired from U.S. public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating the tract

Geographical Definition

Homestead

geographical name

Home·​stead ˈhōm-ˌsted 

city in southeastern Florida southwest of Miami population 60,512