homestead
/ˈhəʊmsted/ (bre, ipa) · [hˈomstˌɛd] /ˈhəʊmsted/ (ame, ipa) · [hˈomstˌɛd] /ˈhōm-ˌsted -stid/ (ame, mw) · /ˈhəʊm.sted/ (bre, ipa) · [hˈomstˌɛd] /ˈhoʊm.sted/ (ame, ipa)
homestead — noun
- homesteadsingular
- homesteadsplural
1. A property consisting of a house together with the fields, barns, and other land
A property consisting of a house together with the fields, barns, and other land around it, typically used for farming and raising animals.
The old homestead had a farmhouse, a barn, and thirty acres of wheat fields.
collocation: old homestead / family homestead
After her grandfather died, Mei-Lin returned to the family homestead in rural Vermont.
Kwame bought a small homestead outside the city where he keeps goats and chickens.
The photograph showed the homestead as it looked in 1920, with cattle grazing near the house.
Yael showed the children how the homestead grew from a cabin into a busy farm.
- farm
the general term for land used for agriculture; homestead emphasizes the house as the family home
- farmstead
focuses on the farmhouse and nearby outbuildings more than the total acreage
- smallholding
a small farm, especially in British English; homestead is more common in American English
常見錯誤
2. In US history, a piece of public land that the federal government gave to a pers
In US history, a piece of public land that the federal government gave to a person who agreed to live on it, build a home, and farm it for a set number of years in order to own it.
Under the Homestead Act of 1862, settlers could claim a homestead of up to 160 acres.
collocation: claim a homestead
Lucia's great-grandparents built their homestead on the Nebraska prairie in the 1870s.
Many families travelled west to claim a homestead during the great land rush.
The museum displays old documents showing how people applied for a government homestead.
Shoshana found 1880s land records that listed every homestead claim in the county.
- land grant
a broader term for any government gift of land; a homestead was a specific type of land grant under the Homestead Act
用法筆記
This sense always refers to the historical US Homestead Act period (1862–1976 in most areas). It is not used for modern land purchases or government land programs in other countries.
常見錯誤
homestead — verb
- homesteadpresent simple I / you / we / they
- homesteads3rd person singular
- homesteading-ing form
- homesteadedpast simple
1. In US history, to take possession of public land from the government, build a ho
In US history, to take possession of public land from the government, build a home on it, and farm it according to the requirements of the Homestead Act in order to gain full ownership of it.
Omar's ancestors homesteaded a plot of land in Kansas after leaving Ireland.
transitive: homestead + plot/land/area
Deepak and Clara homesteaded a quarter-section of land in the Dakota Territory.
Thousands of families homesteaded in the Great Plains during the late 1800s.
After five years on the land, the family could finally say they had homesteaded it.
After the Civil War, many soldiers headed west to homestead in new territories.
- settle
a broader term meaning to begin living in a new area; homestead adds the specific legal process of claiming government land and farming it
文法句型
homestead + land/area
homestead in + place
用法筆記
Almost always used in past-tense or historical contexts. The transitive form takes the land as the direct object; the intransitive form is followed by 'in' plus a region or territory.