peasant

noun

peas·ant | \ ˈpe-zᵊnt

Definition of peasant

1 : a member of a European class of persons tilling the soil as small landowners or as laborers This land was farmed by peasants for centuriess. also : a member of a similar class elsewhere

2 : a usually uneducated person of low social status They treated us like a bunch of peasants.

Examples of peasant in a Sentence

They treated us like a bunch of peasants.

Recent Examples on the Web

Another factor: While Ukrainians were primarily peasants, most Kazakhs were nomads. — Sarah Cameron, WSJ, "The Forgotten Soviet Famine," 1 Nov. 2018 There’s too much plot to summarize all of it here, but in brief: Agnieszka is a peasant girl in a fantasy kingdom loosely inspired by Eastern European folklore. — Vox Staff, Vox, "The most thought-provoking books the Vox staff read in 2018," 21 Dec. 2018 The parts of the country near the United States have prospered while peasants in the south still toil outdoors in the sun. — The Economist, "How Andrés Manuel López Obrador will remake Mexico," 23 June 2018 Its modernization had involved uprooting the peasants, the vast majority of the population, from the countryside and turning them into an urban proletariat. — Azar Gat, WSJ, "The ‘Modernizing Dictator’ Is No Myth," 13 Nov. 2018 From the neovintage pink bustier dress to the smock white peasant top, these picks will satiate your sartorial appetite as summer winds down. 1. — Lauren Valenti, Marie Claire, "6 Off-the-Shoulder Styles You Can Wear On Repeat," 28 July 2014 Fall's newest offerings include graphic print peasant blouses, denim shirts and skirts, and shearling outerwear. — Marina Liao, Marie Claire, "Madewell's Fall '18 Collection Solves All Your Transitional Dressing Dilemmas," 25 July 2018 Rih sets the bar high with look number one: a sheer pink off-the-shoulder peasant blouse with nothing underneath (note that nipple piercing) and printed Balenciaga pants. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Rihanna Rocks Three Steamy Looks in DJ Khaled's "Wild Thoughts" Music Video," 16 June 2017 In 2015, Michael Kors put his spin on the songbird’s favorite peasant dress silhouette, while at Chloé that same year, Clare Waight Keller dressed her models in greatcoats and skinny neck scarves that recalled some of her famous stage ensembles. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Before She Became a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Stevie Nicks Inspired These 9 Runway Collections," 14 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peasant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.