settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment ˈse-tᵊl-mənt 

1

: the act or process of settling

2

a

: an act of bestowing or giving possession under legal sanction

b

: the sum, estate, or income secured to one by such a settlement

3

a

: occupation by settlers

b

: a place or region newly settled

c

: a small village

4

: settlement house

5

: an agreement composing differences

6

: payment or adjustment of an account

Synonyms

• accord
• agreement
• bargain
• compact
• contract
• convention
• covenant
• deal
• disposition
• pact
• understanding

Examples of settlement in a Sentence

I got the house in the divorce settlement.

The parties have not been able to reach a settlement in the case.

We were hoping for a quick settlement of the dispute between the neighbors.

English settlements in North America.

This was the island's first colonial settlement.

They came upon the ruins of an ancient settlement.

Recent Examples on the Web

In short, Putin’s unwavering demand in any peace settlement has been to leave Ukraine essentially defenseless. —Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2025

As a condition of the settlement, TD Bank paid a $1.8 billion criminal penalty which, when added to the civil fines, brought the total to $3 billion to settle the charges. —Steve Weisman, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025

For those curious as to whether NASCAR and two of its Cup Series teams could land on terms of a settlement and avoid trial in December, a NASCAR lawyer has an answer: That’s not likely. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2025

Archaeologists suspect the inhabitants of the Iron Age settlement deliberately buried the Roman brooch, possibly as an offering or other ritual deposit. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing settlement

• out-of-court settlement
• pre-settlement
• settlement house
• viatical settlement

Rhymes for settlement

• resettlement

Kids Definition

settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment ˈset-ᵊl-mənt 

1

: the act of settling : the condition of being settled

2

: final payment (as of a bill)

3

a

: a place or region newly settled

b

: a small village

4

: settlement house

Legal Definition

settlement

noun

set·​tle·​ment

1

: the act or process of settling

2

a

: an agreement reducing or resolving differences

especially : an agreement between litigants that concludes the litigation

the states finally agreed upon a settlement and a consent decree

—W. J. Brennan, Jr.

entered into a property settlement prior to the divorce

b

: a formal and permanent grant or conveyance

c

: the sum, estate, or income granted or paid under a settlement

if the monetary limits of a defendant's insurance policy can be discovered in order to obtain reasonable settlements

—J. H. Friedenthal et al.

3

: closing

settlement costs

4

: the transfer of funds between a payor bank and a collecting bank in order to complete transactions for customers