WordWeb Online

1. A body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
   "the American settlement in Paris"
   - colony
    
2. A community of people smaller than a town
   - village, small town, tank town [N. Amer]
    
3. A conclusive resolution of a matter and disposition of it
    
4. The act of colonizing; the establishment of colonies
   "the British settlement of America"
   - colonization, colonisation [Brit]
    
5. Something settled or resolved; the outcome of decision making
   "they finally reached a settlement with the union"
   - resolution, closure
    
6. An area where a group of families live together
    
7. Termination of a business operation by using its assets to discharge its liabilities
   - liquidation
    
8. (finance) the completion of a transaction, e.g. delivery of goods by the seller and payment for them by the buyer

Derived forms: settlements

See also: settle

Type of: agreement, body, community, conclusion, constitution, deciding, decision making, ending, establishment, formation, geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region, organisation [Brit], organization, termination, understanding

Encyclopedia: Settlement