the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. One who has entered upon a portion of the public land with the purpose of acquiring ownership of it under provisions of the homestead law, so called; one who has acquired a homestead in this manner.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. One who settles upon the public land, or acquires a residence under the Homestead Act.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. someone who settles lawfully on government land with the intent to acquire title to it
Word Usage
"The homesteader was a young man who was beginning to look old without going through a middle age."