squatter

1 of 2

verb

squat·​ter ˈskwä-tər 

squattered; squattering; squatters

intransitive verb

: to go along through or as if through water

ducks squattering to the shore

squatter

2 of 2

noun

: 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, 1 June 2020

Noun

For months, if not years, squatters making themselves at home in the derelict Park Square Court space would traverse the skyway over to the Railroader building, where office tenants would sometimes call police to get unruly characters out of the bathroom. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 5 Dec. 2025

The building had housed the Mission Hills library from 1961 to 2019 and then sat unused for about five years, not counting the occasional squatter. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1785, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1788, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing squatter

• squatter sovereignty

Rhymes for squatter

• blotter
• cotter
• daughter
• hotter
• mater
• otter
• plotter
• rotter
• slaughter
• spotter
• totter
• trotter

Kids Definition

squatter

noun

squat·​ter

ˈskwät-ər

1

: one that squats

2

a

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

b

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

Legal Definition

squatter

noun

squat·​ter

ˈskwä-tər

: 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.