homesteading

noun

home·​stead·​ing ˈhōm-ˌste-diŋ 

1

: the act or practice of acquiring, settling on, or occupying land under a homestead law (see homestead law sense 2)

Homesteading was a minor factor in farm formation; most farmers purchased their land.

—Richard Edwards et al.

Homesteaders still were receiving no training or farm development loans from the Bureau, and this became a major issue in Congressional debates over postwar homesteading.

—Brian Q. Cannon

2

: the act or practice of living frugally or self-sufficiently (as on a homestead) especially by growing and preserving food

While homesteading is full of … delicious homegrown food, and quality family time, it is also chock-full of chores and life lessons.

—Jenna Dooley

In Madison County, food preservation techniques and other homesteading skills remain a big part of daily life, said Koontz, and many locals stay closely tied to their land and what it can produce.

—Mackensy Lunsford

… an urban homesteading venture in which he grows vegetables and makes kombucha, herbal salves and more out of his home.

—Courtney Lamdin and Sasha Goldstein

Examples of homesteading in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The nation was in the grip of a devastating deflation, but the ability to acquire land by homesteading or on railroad credit lured continued inward migration and immigration from abroad. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025

Influencers have played a role in leading the rebrand of farm life, with Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm — one of homesteading’s most visible acolytes — attracting more than 10 million followers on Instagram alone. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 10 June 2025

Black cowboys and cowgirls have long impacted cultures in the south, midwest, and all over the nation, and have played an influential role throughout America’s history and present-day homesteading culture. —Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 13 May 2025

But now other elements of farm life and homesteading have become aspirational, too, as the lifestyle itself has become less attainable. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 10 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

homestead entry 2 + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for homesteading

• bedding
• dreading
• heading
• shedding
• shredding
• sledding
• spreading
• threading
• treading
• wedding
• beheading
• embedding