squatter

squat·ter | \ ˈskwä-tər

How to pronounce squatter (audio)

\

squattered; squattering; squatters

Definition of squatter

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to go along through or as if through water ducks squattering to the shore

squatter

Definition of squatter (Entry 2 of 2)

: one that squats: such as

a : one that settles on property without right or title or payment of rent

b : one that settles on public land under government regulation with the purpose of acquiring title

Examples of squatter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Spenard is named for the bootlegger and squatter Joe Spenard. — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, "History of the ‘Phantom Swede’ and the origin of Bootlegger Cove’s name," 1 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The small squatter community in Southern California's Sonoran Desert has no running water, no electricity and no plumbing, and most summer days are 100 degrees or hotter. — Washington Post, "Fear of the pandemic reaches California’s Slab City, an off-the-grid desert community," 8 June 2020 Behind our home was another, more fallen house, occupied by a succession of squatters, adventurers, and families in transition. — Hal Herring, Field & Stream, "How Do You Cope with the Death of a Great Dog?," 12 May 2020 Most belong to people who have been beaten down by life, including squatters and tenants in an RV rental black market. — Los Angeles Times, "In coronavirus fight, workers in ski masks are holding L.A.'s social safety net together," 1 Apr. 2020 At the turn of the 20th century, Tucson only had one public facility for consumptive patients, St. Mary’s Hospital and Sanatorium, along with a sprawling squatter’s camp known as Tentville. — Roger Naylor, azcentral, "A century before coronavirus, Arizona was a haven for people fleeing another fearsome disease," 11 May 2020 The land was purchased by Oliver Phelps, but was inhabited only by squatters and hunter/trappers. — Mary Jane Brewer, cleveland, "Granger Township celebrates the 1820s in 2020," 17 Feb. 2020 Before long, smoke from the fires of simple timber homes marked the presence of a different kind of settler than the Virginian gentleman farmer: the intrepid woodsman squatter. — Longreads, "In Pocahontas County, Deep Divisions and a Gruesome Discovery," 22 Jan. 2020 Title issues, and problems with a squatter, complicated the process, Hagestad said. — Marc Ramirez, Dallas News, "Irving demolition crew tears down wrong Vickery Place home in ‘heartbreaking’ error," 22 Feb. 2020 Another squatter, in a house owned by a developer boyfriend, is one of the groupies, Tami Rowland. — Charles Mcgrath, New York Times, "A Winning Baseball Novel by the Editor of The Paris Review," 3 Feb. 2020

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

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Dictionary Entries near squatter

squatter's right

squatter sovereignty

Statistics for squatter

Last Updated

22 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Squatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squatter. Accessed 3 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for squatter

squatter

noun

English Language Learners Definition of squatter

: someone who lives in a building or on land without the permission of the owner and without paying : someone who squats

See the full definition for squatter in the English Language Learners Dictionary

squatter

squat·ter | \ ˈskwä-tər \

Legal Definition of squatter

: a person who occupies real property without a claim of right or title

Note: In most jurisdictions, a squatter cannot gain title to land through adverse possession because adverse possession requires possession of the property under a claim of right or color of title.

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