peasant

noun peas·ant \ ˈpe-zᵊnt \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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.

See peasant defined for English-language learners

See peasant defined for kids

Examples of peasant in a Sentence

They treated us like a bunch of peasants.

Recent Examples of peasant from the Web

These were the sorts of meals involving heaping plates of pasta and red sauce in a restaurant festooned with clichés: murals of gondolas, peasants and putti, a soundtrack heavy with accordion and kitsch.

— patrick comiskey, latimes.com, "Wines of the week: 3 great bottles of Chianti," 5 Apr. 2018
There’s Tina in the back, a nurse in a blue peasant blouse and longhorn hat who fell into homelessness after her father and husband died in quick succession.

— sarah smith, star-telegram, "Why some homeless choose to survive in tent cities when shelters await | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 23 Mar. 2018
Finally, on March 13 Kim confirmed via Instagram that KKW Beauty Concealer Kits are not only on the way, but will launch March 23 so peasants like me can have under eyes like Kim.

— brooke shunatona, Cosmopolitan, "Kim Kardashian Just Posted the Sweetest Photo With Kris and M.J. to Announce Her New Concealer Kits," 13 Mar. 2018
Johnny Ramos is a storekeeper in Macapeyo, a village where paramilitary troops killed more than a dozen peasants.

— john otis, WSJ, "Jobs, Cash and Coffins: How Colombia’s Clans Win Elections," 9 Mar. 2018
This Polish rite of spring invites revelers in Polish peasant-style dresses to twirl and hop down Detroit Avenue to the familiar songs of Cleveland polka legend Frankie Yankovic.

— lisa dejong, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Dyngus Day 2018 (photos)," 3 Apr. 2018
In his first five months in power, according to Amnesty International, soldiers killed more than 10,000 peasants.

— stephen kinzer, New York Times, "Efraín Ríos Montt, Guatemalan Dictator Convicted of Genocide, Dies at 91," 1 Apr. 2018
After 12 years in the country, the peasant farmers from Mexico’s Zacatecas state, who had walked across the border without papers, seemed to be on a path to their dream.

— www.latimes.com, "A Dream Displaced," 29 Mar. 2018
The peasants fleeing Ireland had a shorter life expectancy than slaves in the U.S., many of whom enjoyed healthier diets and better living quarters.

— jason l. riley, WSJ, "Lessons From the Rise of America’s Irish," 13 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of peasant

Middle English paissaunt, from Anglo-French paisant, pesaunt, from pais, paiis country, from Late Latin pagensis inhabitant of a district, from Latin pagus district; akin to Latin pangere to fix — more at pact

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

PEASANT Defined for English Language Learners

peasant

noun

Definition of peasant for English Language Learners

: a poor farmer or farm worker who has low social status
: a person who is not educated and has low social status

PEASANT Defined for Kids

peasant

noun peas·ant \ ˈpe-zᵊnt \

Definition of peasant for Students

: a farmer or farm worker of low social class

Learn More about peasant

See words that rhyme with peasant Spanish Central: Translation of peasant Nglish: Translation of peasant for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of peasant for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about peasant

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peasant

Definition of peasant

Examples of peasant in a Sentence

Recent Examples of peasant from the Web

Origin and Etymology of peasant

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

PEASANT Defined for English Language Learners

peasant

Definition of peasant for English Language Learners

PEASANT Defined for Kids

peasant

Definition of peasant for Students

Learn More about peasant

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Definition of peasant

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Origin and Etymology of peasant

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Definition of peasant for Students

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