homestead

1 of 2

noun

home·​stead ˈhōm-ˌsted 

-stid

1

a

: the home and adjoining land occupied by a family

b

: an ancestral home

c

: house

2

: a tract of land acquired from U.S. public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating the tract

homestead

2 of 2

verb

home·​stead ˈhōm-ˌsted 

homesteaded; homesteading; homesteads

transitive verb

: to acquire or occupy (land) as a homestead

Piet drove over the nearly impassable mountains from Capetown to homestead his two farms …

—Julian Moynihan

… he wants his children and grandchildren to be able to work the rich soil homesteaded by their ancestors in the 1800s.

—James Anderson

intransitive verb

1

: to acquire or settle on land under a homestead law (see homestead law sense 2)

Parker's maternal relatives were homesteading way out on the Texas frontier in 1836, south of modern Dallas, lured there by generous land grants offered by the Mexican government.

—David Holahan

2

: to live frugally or self-sufficiently (as on a homestead) especially by growing and preserving food

They homestead on about 4 acres with a 5,000 square foot garden, greenhouse and an enclosed porch that they use as an additional greenhouse.

—The Paper of Montgomery County (Crawfordsville, Indiana)

The food insecurity of my childhood undoubtedly informed my decision to homestead as an adult. … We have chickens and ducks, and my husband grows an organic garden that supplies well over half of our family's food for the year.

—Crystal Sands

Examples of homestead in a Sentence

Noun

They decided to farm the old homestead.

Verb

They homesteaded the territory in the 1860s.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Eventually, Giles—who raises sheep on a homestead in Oklahoma—had to give up eating not just beef but pork, and, yes, even lamb. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2024

Sarah Paulson is an overprotective mom in Dust Bowl-era Oklahoma trying to keep her kids safe from disease when a dark presence enters their homestead. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024

Verb

The ranch was first homesteaded in 1915 and used as a cattle farm. —Caitlin Palumbo, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024

The James Craig Bair Ranch in Glenwood Springs has been a staple in the region for more than a century, homesteaded by Jim Bair’s great-grandfather and continued for five generations since. —Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1867, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing homestead

• homestead law

Kids Definition

homestead

1 of 2 noun

home·​stead -ˌsted 

1

: a home and surrounding land

2

: a piece of land acquired from U.S. public lands by living on and cultivating it

homestead

2 of 2 verb

: to acquire or settle on public land for use as a homestead

homesteader

-ˌsted-ər

noun

Legal Definition

homestead

noun

home·​stead ˈhōm-ˌsted, -stid 

1

a

: the home and adjoining land with any buildings that is occupied usually by a family as its principal residence

b

: an estate created by law in a homestead especially for the purpose of taking advantage of a homestead exemption

2

: a tract of land acquired from U.S. public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating the tract

Geographical Definition

Homestead

geographical name

Home·​stead ˈhōm-ˌsted 

city in southeastern Florida southwest of Miami population 60,512