sharecrop

verb

share·​crop ˈsher-ˌkräp How to pronounce sharecrop (audio)
sharecropped; sharecropping; sharecrops

transitive verb

: to farm (land) or produce (a crop) as a sharecropper

Examples of sharecrop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Farm labor was restricted to the sharecropping system, which resembled slavery. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 June 2023 Her parents, whose families both have histories in sharecropping in the South, were high school teachers. Hannah Gaskill, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2023 My grandmother, who left school after fourth grade to sharecrop Georgia fields, is 46 and has already spent more than two thirds of her life cleaning white people’s homes. Hafizah Augustus Geter, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Feb. 2023 Most of that Southern land returned to white owners, who allowed former slaves to sharecrop for pennies on the dollar. Stephanie Toone, ajc, 19 Oct. 2020 See all Example Sentences for sharecrop 

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from sharecropper

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of sharecrop was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near sharecrop

Cite this Entry

“Sharecrop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharecrop. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

sharecrop

verb
share·​crop ˈshe(ə)r-ˌkräp How to pronounce sharecrop (audio)
ˈsha(ə)r-
sharecropped; sharecropping
: to farm or produce as a sharecropper

More from Merriam-Webster on sharecrop

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!