Translate settlement | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of settlement
noun
1an official agreement intended to resolve a dispute or conflict:unions succeeded in reaching a pay settlement the settlement of the Sino-Japanese war a formal arrangement made between the parties to a lawsuit in order to resolve it, especially out of court:the owner reached an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiffs
2a place, typically one that has hitherto been uninhabited, where people establish a community:the little settlement of Buttermere the process of settling in a new community:the early settlement of Queensland the action of allowing or helping people to do this:he was involved in the sale and settlement of Crown land
3 Law an arrangement whereby property passes to a succession of people as dictated by the settlor. the amount or property given.
4the action or process of settling an account.
5subsidence of the ground or a structure built on it:a boundary wall, which has cracked due to settlement, is to be replaced
