1. a person who unlawfully occupies an uninhabited building or unused land
2. a settler who occupies land without legal title, especially in the American West
Usage: historical

Examples

• The squatter had been living in the abandoned warehouse for months.
• Police evicted several squatters from the empty building.
• Many squatters eventually gained legal ownership of their land through homestead laws.
• The old factory became home to a community of squatters.
• Squatters’ rights sometimes allow long-term occupants to claim property.
• The city struggled with how to handle squatters in vacant lots.
• During westward expansion, many squatters settled on unclaimed territory.