settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment ˈse-tᵊl-mənt 

1

: the act or process of settling

2

a

: an act of bestowing or giving possession under legal sanction

b

: the sum, estate, or income secured to one by such a settlement

3

a

: occupation by settlers

b

: a place or region newly settled

c

: a small village

4

: settlement house

5

: an agreement composing differences

6

: payment or adjustment of an account

Synonyms

• accord
• agreement
• bargain
• compact
• contract
• convention
• covenant
• deal
• disposition
• pact
• understanding

Examples of settlement in a Sentence

I got the house in the divorce settlement.

The parties have not been able to reach a settlement in the case.

We were hoping for a quick settlement of the dispute between the neighbors.

English settlements in North America.

This was the island's first colonial settlement.

They came upon the ruins of an ancient settlement.

Recent Examples on the Web

In response, Southwest said its board had made every effort to reach a constructive resolution with Elliott, including providing a settlement framework for appointing as many as three of the activist’s nominees. —Mary Schlangenstein, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2024

The settlement talks are predicated on a deal that would give Elliott less than full board control, said the people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations are confidential. —Rohan Goswami,leslie Josephs, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024

The planned walkout falls one year after Kaiser reached a sweeping settlement with California regulators, who faulted it for failing to ensure timely access to mental health care. —Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024

Three years after reaching a confidential divorce settlement with Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates is still receiving Microsoft stock from her former spouse. —Maggie McGrath, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing settlement

• out-of-court settlement
• pre-settlement
• settlement house
• viatical settlement

Kids Definition

settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment ˈset-ᵊl-mənt 

1

: the act of settling : the condition of being settled

2

: final payment (as of a bill)

3

a

: a place or region newly settled

b

: a small village

4

: settlement house

Legal Definition

settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment

1

: the act or process of settling

2

a

: an agreement reducing or resolving differences

especially : an agreement between litigants that concludes the litigation

the states finally agreed upon a settlement and a consent decree

—W. J. Brennan, Jr.

entered into a property settlement prior to the divorce

b

: a formal and permanent grant or conveyance

c

: the sum, estate, or income granted or paid under a settlement

if the monetary limits of a defendant's insurance policy can be discovered in order to obtain reasonable settlements

—J. H. Friedenthal et al.

3

: closing

settlement costs

4

: the transfer of funds between a payor bank and a collecting bank in order to complete transactions for customers