squatter

[ skwot-er ]

/ ˈskwɒt ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR squatter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that squats.

a person who settles on land or occupies property without title, right, or payment of rent.

a person who settles on land under government regulation, in order to acquire title.

Origin of squatter

First recorded in 1775–85; squat + -er¹

OTHER WORDS FROM squatter

squat·ter·dom, noun

Words nearby squatter

squashable, squashy, squassation, squat, squat thrust, squatter, squatter sovereignty, squatter's right, squattocracy, squatty, squauwmish

Definition for squatter (2 of 2)

squat

[ skwot ]

/ skwɒt /

verb (used without object), squat·ted or squat, squat·ting.

to sit in a low or crouching position with the legs drawn up closely beneath or in front of the body; sit on one's haunches or heels.

to crouch down or cower, as an animal.

to settle on or occupy property, especially otherwise unoccupied property, without any title, right, or payment of rent.

to settle on public land under government regulation, in order to acquire title.

Nautical. (of a vessel, especially a power vessel) to draw more water astern when in motion forward than when at rest.

verb (used with object), squat·ted or squat, squat·ting.

to cause to squat.

to occupy (property) as a squatter.

adjective, squat·ter, squat·test.

(of a person, animal, the body, etc.) short and thickset.

low and thick or broad: The building had a squat shape.

seated or being in a squatting position; crouching.

noun

the act or fact of squatting.

a squatting position or posture.

a weightlifting exercise in which a person squats and then returns to an erect position while holding a barbell at the back of the shoulders.

Nautical. the tendency of a vessel to draw more water astern when in motion than when stationary.

Slang. doodly-squat.

a place occupied by squatters.

Origin of squat

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English squatten < Old French esquater, esquatir, equivalent to es- ex-¹ + quatir < Vulgar Latin *coactīre to compress, equivalent to Latin coāct(us), past participle of cōgere to compress ( co- co- + ag(ere) to drive + -tus past participle suffix) + -īre infinitive suffix; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.; (adj.) Middle English: in a squatting position, orig., past participle of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR squat

8 dumpy, stocky, square.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR squat ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM squat

squat·ly, adverb squat·ness, noun

Example sentences from the Web for squatter

And thanks to the heavy police presence, the squatter houses were quiet, too.

In Rome’s Riots, Cries for Mussolini and Attacks on Refugees |Barbie Latza Nadeau |November 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The bakery she had founded was now occupied by a squatter who had never heard of the structure's former incarnation.

Philanthropy's Transformer |Liz Goodwin |March 9, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
A sudden turn of the trail revealed a squatter's hut built of rough lumber, and standing beneath a live-oak.

Bunch Grass |Horace Annesley Vachell
The little man did not reply, but made the usual scrawl in his book, while the squatter hastened to agree with the fat man.

Three Elephant Power |Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson

She wished she might greet her squatter friends as of yore, but her heart was sad and lay stonelike in her breast.

The Secret of the Storm Country |Grace Miller White
The squatter's judgment was bad--that is plain; but his heart was right.

Following the Equator, Part 3 |Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
"No, my boy, but I bought my run from a squatter," he answered.

Jean, Our Little Australian Cousin |Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

British Dictionary definitions for squatter (1 of 2)

squatter

/ (ˈskwɒtə) /

noun

a person who occupies property or land to which he has no legal title

(in Australia)

(formerly) a person who occupied a tract of land, esp pastoral land, as tenant of the Crown
a farmer of sheep or cattle on a large scale

(in New Zealand) a 19th-century settler who took up large acreage on a Crown lease

British Dictionary definitions for squatter (2 of 2)

squat

/ (skwɒt) /

verb squats, squatting or squatted (intr)

to rest in a crouching position with the knees bent and the weight on the feet

to crouch down, esp in order to hide

law (tr) to occupy land or property to which the occupant has no legal title

weightlifting to crouch down to one's knees and rise to a standing position while holding (a specified weight) behind one's neck

adjective

Also: squatty (ˈskwɒtɪ) short and broad a squat chair

noun

a squatting position

weightlifting an exercise in which a person crouches down and rises up repeatedly while holding a barbell at shoulder height

a house occupied by squatters

Derived forms of squat

squatly, adverb squatness, noun

Word Origin for squat

C13: from Old French esquater, from es- ex- 1 + catir to press together, from Vulgar Latin coactīre (unattested), from Latin cōgere to compress, from co- + agere to drive

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

squatter

noun

Origin of squatter

OTHER WORDS FROM squatter

Words nearby squatter

Definition for squatter (2 of 2)

verb (used without object), squat·ted or squat, squat·ting.

verb (used with object), squat·ted or squat, squat·ting.

adjective, squat·ter, squat·test.

noun

Origin of squat

SYNONYMS FOR squat

OTHER WORDS FROM squat

Example sentences from the Web for squatter

British Dictionary definitions for squatter (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for squatter (2 of 2)

verb squats, squatting or squatted (intr)

adjective

noun

Derived forms of squat

Word Origin for squat

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

squatter

noun

Origin of squatter

OTHER WORDS FROM squatter

Words nearby squatter

Definition for squatter (2 of 2)

verb (used without object), squat·ted or squat, squat·ting.

verb (used with object), squat·ted or squat, squat·ting.

adjective, squat·ter, squat·test.

noun

Origin of squat

SYNONYMS FOR squat

OTHER WORDS FROM squat

Words related to squatter

Example sentences from the Web for squatter

British Dictionary definitions for squatter (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for squatter (2 of 2)

verb squats, squatting or squatted (intr)

adjective

noun

Derived forms of squat

Word Origin for squat