squatter

C2 Topic:Law & Government

US /ˈskwɑ.təɹ/ UK /ˈskwɒ.tə/ See IPA manual

Freq #34371

Meanings

1

noun
a person who occupies land or a building without legal title, permission, or a tenancy agreement

The abandoned warehouse was occupied by a squatter seeking shelter.
2

noun
historical Australia: a settler who occupied Crown grazing land, later especially a wealthy pastoral leaseholder

The nineteenth-century squatter managed an immense sheep station inland.
3

noun
a person who squats or remains seated low to the ground

The squatter rose slowly after tending the campfire.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person who occupies land... unauthorized occupant

2 noun · historical australia: a... pastoralistgrazier

3 noun · a person who squats or... crouching person

Opposites

legal tenantowner

Word family

Forms squatters

Derived forms antisquattercybersquattersquatterdomsquatteringsquatterismwebsquatter

Related forms squat occupation settler station

Etymology

An agent noun from squat. The unauthorized-occupant sense developed from settling on land without title. In colonial Australia, squatter became a historical term for pastoral settlers on Crown land and later for powerful leaseholding graziers.

Topics

Law & Government

External links

# squatter

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈskwɑ.təɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈskwɒ.tə/
**Frequency rank:** 34371

## Meanings
1. a person who occupies land or a building without legal title, permission, or a tenancy agreement
2. historical Australia: a settler who occupied Crown grazing land, later especially a wealthy pastoral leaseholder
3. a person who squats or remains seated low to the ground

## Examples
- The abandoned warehouse was occupied by a squatter seeking shelter.
- The nineteenth-century squatter managed an immense sheep station inland.
- The squatter rose slowly after tending the campfire.

## Synonyms
- unauthorized occupant
- pastoralist
- grazier

## Antonyms
- legal tenant
- owner

## Derived Forms
- antisquatter
- cybersquatter
- squatterdom
- squattering
- squatterism
- websquatter

## Related Forms
- squat
- occupation
- settler
- station

## Etymology
An agent noun from squat. The unauthorized-occupant sense developed from settling on land without title. In colonial Australia, squatter became a historical term for pastoral settlers on Crown land and later for powerful leaseholding graziers.

## Topics
- Law & Government

markdown