sharecropper

share·crop·per | \ ˈsher-ˌkrä-pər

How to pronounce sharecropper (audio)

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Definition of sharecropper

: 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 The son of sharecroppers who moved north to Baltimore, Cummings rose through the political ranks to become Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. — CBS News, "Passage: Bill Macy and Elijah Cummings," 20 Oct. 2019 His father and mother were Southern sharecroppers, who tended crops on land owned by white people and turned over portions of their yield in exchange for rent. — Dahleen Glanton, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Rep. Elijah Cummings’ rise to power explains why African Americans are aligned with Democrats," 17 Oct. 2019 Gaines, the son of sharecroppers and the eldest of 12 children, was born on a plantation in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Acclaimed Louisiana Novelist Ernest J. Gaines Dies at 86," 6 Nov. 2019 The Guardian Happy birthday Althea Gibson The daughter of sharecroppers would grow up to be a tennis trailblazer, though she is not mentioned as often as Arthur Ashe or baseball’s Jackie Robinson. — Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, "Business Needs a New Perspective: raceAhead," 26 Aug. 2019 Cummings, the son of a sharecropper and pastors who died last Thursday at 68, was among a generation of lawmakers, civil rights leaders and social justice advocates who grew up under the influence of the African American church. — NBC News, "Black Baptist church shaped Cummings' commitment," 25 Oct. 2019 Cummings, the son of a sharecropper and pastors who died last Thursday at 68, was among a generation of lawmakers, civil rights leaders and social justice advocates who grew up under the influence of the African American church. — Washington Post, "Black Baptist church shaped Cummings’ commitment," 23 Oct. 2019 Cummings, who was born into a family of sharecroppers and Baptist preachers, integrated a local Baltimore pool at age 11 and rose to be the first African American speaker pro tem of the Maryland House of Delegates. — Jenna Portnoy, Twin Cities, "Cummings to lie in state at Capitol before funeral," 19 Oct. 2019 The pair became fast friends and Leone eventually visited Grenada, becoming familiar with juke joints, sharecroppers and common people, as well as their rich musical heritage. — cleveland, "Acclaimed guitarist Joey Leone shares history of the blues at Middleburg Heights Library," 10 Oct. 2019

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

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Last Updated

9 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Sharecropper.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharecropper. Accessed 14 December 2019.

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