homesteader

noun

home·​stead·​er ˈhōm-ˌste-dər How to pronounce homesteader (audio)
plural homesteaders
Synonyms of homesteadernext
: someone who homesteads:
a
: someone who acquires, settles on, or occupies land under a homestead law (see homestead law sense 2)
As more homesteaders arrived, they took more and more Native American land.Ann Byers
Her grandmother came to Kansas in a covered wagon as a homesteader in 1883 …Mark Binelli
b
: someone who lives frugally or self-sufficiently (as on a homestead) especially by growing and preserving food
There are modern-day homesteaders who have traded contemporary conveniences such as … a reliable internet connection to grow much of their own food and—as much as possible—live off the land …Chris Moody
We are city homesteaders. We have a 100-foot lot and make the most of it.Faye Waloch
As a homesteader, you might even fish as a means to put more food on the table.Kacey Mya
Many homesteaders make their own soaps, skin care items, and herbal remedies or sew or knit their own clothing, and in other ways reduce the need for shopping and consumerism.Kristin Lie-Nielsen

Examples of homesteader 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.
The area has a rich and compelling history, filled with legends, wars, and homesteaders long before 1939, when the land became part of the National Park Service. Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026 Also on Holzherr, humble homesteaders the Knoll family brace for the intrusion of Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts, with more facial piercings than Hellraiser’s Pinhead), leader of a band of interplanetary Brigands. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026 The book traces the fictitious Yeoman family’s evolution over generations from self-sufficient homesteaders to participants in global markets. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 23 June 2026 Legend has it that before Colorado was even a state, an outlaw was hung in the Castle Rock gulch after murdering a local homesteader. Olivia Young, CBS News, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for homesteader

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of homesteader was in 1865

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Homesteader.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homesteader. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on homesteader

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster