Meaning & use
resettlement
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Meanings
noununcountable
The process of moving people to a new place to live, often because they have been forced to leave their homes.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural when talking about the general process: 'Resettlement takes time.'
Patterns
- resettlement of someone
- resettlement in a place
- resettlement program
The government announced a resettlement program for families displaced by the flood.
Resettlement of refugees in third countries requires international cooperation.
After the war, the resettlement of the villagers took several years.
nouncountable
A particular instance of people being moved and starting to live in a new place.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' or in the plural: 'a resettlement', 'two resettlements'.
Patterns
- a resettlement of someone
- resettlements in a region
The agency arranged a resettlement for the family in a nearby town.
The report documented several resettlements of indigenous communities.
Common combinations
- resettlement program
- The resettlement program helped hundreds of refugees find new homes.
- resettlement of refugees
- The resettlement of refugees is a complex legal process.
- forced resettlement
- Forced resettlement of the villagers was criticized by human rights groups.
- resettlement area
- The new resettlement area has schools and a health clinic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- relocation
- Relocation is a more general word for moving to a new place, often used for companies or individuals, not just for people who have been forced to move.
- displacement
- Displacement focuses on the fact of being forced out of a home, while resettlement focuses on the process of settling somewhere new.
Word family
Commonly confused: resettlement or settlement?
resettlement vs settlement
Settlement can mean a place where people live, or an agreement that ends a dispute. Resettlement specifically means moving people to a new place.
Practice
The government's ______ of the flood victims took two years.
Choose one answer.
The noun 'resettlement' fits because we need a noun after 'the government's' and before 'of'. 'Settlement' would mean a place or an agreement, not the process of moving people. 'Resettling' is a gerund and could work in some contexts, but 'resettlement' is the standard noun for this process. 'Resettle' is a verb and does not fit after 'the government's'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “resettlement”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.