sharecropper

noun

share·​crop·​per ˈsher-ˌkrä-pər How to pronounce sharecropper (audio)
Synonyms of sharecroppernext
: a tenant farmer especially in the southern U.S. who is provided with credit for seed, tools, living quarters, and food, who works the land, and who receives an agreed share of the value of the crop minus charges

Examples of sharecropper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Generations of sharecroppers farmed the land, called the Franklin Farms megasite, until 2006, when the Franklin family sold it to the state of Louisiana, which then hoped to attract an auto plant. Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026 In the north, Louisiana also had sharecroppers and still has cotton fields. Christine Ochefu, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2026 The Malcolms and Dorseys, sharecroppers in Georgia, encouraged Black neighbors to vote in the state's all-white primary earlier that year. Brian Unger, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026 Last year’s spike in fire deaths among the city’s senior citizens included a 95-year-old Queens grandmother who died along with her great granddaughter, an 89-year-old Bronx man who had just beaten cancer and a 90-year-old sharecropper’s daughter from Georgia who dedicated her life to teaching. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sharecropper

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sharecropper was in 1871

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Cite this Entry

“Sharecropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharecropper. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

sharecropper

noun
share·​crop·​per ˈshe(ə)r-ˌkräp-ər How to pronounce sharecropper (audio)
ˈsha(ə)r-
: a farmer who works land for the owner in return for a share of the value of the crop

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