homesteading

[ hohm-sted-ing ]
/ ˈhoʊmˌstɛd ɪŋ /

noun

an act or instance of establishing a homestead.
Also called homesteading program, urban homesteading. a federal program to improve deteriorating urban areas by offering abandoned or foreclosed houses to persons who agree to repair them and live in them for a specified number of years.

Origin of homesteading

1890–95, for earlier sense “homestead”; homestead + -ing1

Definition for homesteading (2 of 2)

homestead
[ hohm-sted, -stid ]
/ ˈhoʊm stɛd, -stɪd /

noun

a dwelling with its land and buildings, occupied by the owner as a home and exempted by a homestead law from seizure or sale for debt.
any dwelling with its land and buildings where a family makes its home.
a tract of land acquired under the Homestead Act.
a house in an urban area acquired under a homesteading program.

verb (used with object)

to acquire or settle on (land) as a homestead: Pioneers homesteaded the valley.

verb (used without object)

to acquire or settle on a homestead: They homesteaded many years ago.

Origin of homestead

before 1000; Old English hāmstede (not found in ME). See home, stead

Example sentences from the Web for homesteading

British Dictionary definitions for homesteading (1 of 2)

homesteading
/ (ˈhəʊmˌstɛdɪŋ) /

noun (in Britain)

  1. a scheme whereby council tenants are enabled to buy derelict property from the council and renovate it with the aid of Government grants
  2. (as modifier)a homesteading scheme

British Dictionary definitions for homesteading (2 of 2)

homestead
/ (ˈhəʊmˌstɛd, -stɪd) /

noun

a house or estate and the adjoining land, buildings, etc, esp a farm
(in the US) a house and adjoining land designated by the owner as his fixed residence and exempt under the homestead laws from seizure and forced sale for debts
(in western Canada) a piece of land, usually 160 acres, granted to a settler by the federal government
Australian and NZ the owner's or manager's residence on a sheep or cattle station; in New Zealand the term includes all outbuildings