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 of settlement

• agreement
• pact
• convention

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

For much of the past year, neither side was willing to budge much from their respective stance, effectively muting any chance of a settlement. —Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025

Harry settled with the Murdoch empire in January 2025 and beat the Mirror, winning £140,600 [around $180,000] in damages in December 2023 plus a later undisclosed settlement in relation to costs and other aspects not dealt with in the initial judgment. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025

Some examples of how this could affect you are regarding an inheritance, a bonus, a settlement, a shift in your benefits package from your employer, assets or investments. —Kyle Thomas, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025

Travelers can then continue north to the town of Inuvik and on to Tuktoyaktuk, a small Inuvialuit settlement at the edge of the Arctic Ocean. —Marc Telio, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for settlement

• resettlement

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