homesteaders

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralAmerican

   People who settled on and farmed free government land, especially in the American West under the Homestead Act.

   Grammar: Always plural in this form; the singular is homesteader: one homesteader, many homesteaders.

   Patterns

   • early homesteaders
   • the homesteaders who settled
   • homesteaders in the West

   The homesteaders built small houses out of sod because there were few trees.

   Many homesteaders failed because the land was too dry to farm.

   The museum tells the story of the homesteaders who settled the prairie.

2. 2nounplural

   People who live on and improve a homestead, often in a remote rural area.

   Grammar: Used for more than one person; for one person use homesteader.

   Patterns

   • modern homesteaders
   • homesteaders who live off the land

   Modern homesteaders grow their own vegetables and keep chickens.

   The homesteaders repaired the fence around their property.

Word forms

Common combinations

early homesteaders

Early homesteaders arrived in the 1870s.

homesteaders settled the land

Homesteaders settled the land and built farms.

a group of homesteaders

A group of homesteaders shared tools and labor.

homesteaders in the West

Homesteaders in the West faced harsh winters.

Synonyms and how they differ

settlers

A broader word for people who move to a new area; homesteaders specifically claimed free land under the Homestead Act.

pioneers

Often used for the first people to enter a new region; homesteaders may or may not be the very first.

Word family

homestead noun

The land and house claimed by a homesteader.

homesteader noun

One person who claims and farms a homestead.

homesteading noun

The activity of living on and improving a homestead.

Commonly confused: homesteaders or homestead?

Practice

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