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

That's part of a settlement stemming from the FBI's mishandling of the initial allegations. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024

The settlement agreements will resolve the claims lodged against the United States that alleged the FBI failed to conduct an adequate investigation of Nassar's conduct. —Npr Staff, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024

The group won a $5 million settlement in 2013 in a similar case against the Titan Corporation, another military contractor that had employees at Abu Ghraib. —Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024

The details of those settlements will not be disclosed. —Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024

The site had been an ancient Roman fort, then expanded into a settlement about 1,800 years ago. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024

But lawyers can participate in settlement talks at any point during the pre-trial phase. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024

The story of tainted water in that case, which led to a $330-million settlement, inspired an Oscar-winning movie starring Julia Roberts. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024

The plants are being paid for with money from a multibillion-dollar settlement reached with 3M, a leading manufacturer of PFAS. —Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing settlement

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

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