settlement
set·tle·ment / ˈsetlmənt/ • n. 1. an official agreement intended to resolve a dispute or conflict: unions succeeded in reaching a pay settlement | the settlement of the Palestinian problem. ∎ a formal arrangement made between the parties to a lawsuit in order to resolve it, esp. out of court: the owner reached an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiffs.2. a place, typically one that has hitherto been uninhabited, where people establish a community: the little settlement of Buttermere. ∎ the process of settling in such a place: the early settlement of Queensland. ∎ the action of allowing or helping people to do this: Israel's settlement of immigrants in the occupied territories.3. Law an arrangement whereby property passes to a succession of people as dictated by the settlor. ∎ the amount or property given.4. the action or process of settling an account.5. subsidence of the ground or a structure built on it: a boundary wall, which has cracked due to settlement, is to be replaced.