squatter
UK /ˈskwɒ.tə/ · US /ˈskwɑ.təɹ/ noun
Also a form of squat
Forms squatters
- noun One who squats; one who sits down idly.
- noun (Australia, historical) One who occupied Crown land.
- noun (Philippines) A poor vagrant; a hobo or beggar; one suffering from extreme poverty.
- noun (Australia, historical) A large-scale grazier and landowner.
- noun (informal) A squat toilet.
Synonyms
Etymology
From squat + -er.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One who squats; specifically, one who settles unlawfully upon land without a title. In the United States and Australia the term is sometimes applied also to a person who settles lawfully upon government land under permission and restrictions, before acquiring title.
- noun See Squat snipe, under Squat. Squatter sovereignty, the right claimed by the squatters, or actual residents, of a Territory of the United States to make their own laws. [Local, U.S.] Bartlett.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “squatter”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details