1. past tense of homestead; to settle on and claim land under a homestead law, typically by living on it and improving it for a required period
Usage: historical; chiefly U.S.
2. to establish or live on a homestead; to engage in homesteading as a lifestyle or agricultural practice
Usage: modern usage

Examples

• Her great-grandparents homesteaded in Oklahoma during the land rush of 1889.
• They homesteaded 160 acres and built a cabin from logs they cut themselves.
• After leaving the city, the young couple homesteaded in rural Vermont, growing their own food.
• Settlers who homesteaded in the West had to prove they could survive harsh conditions.
• She homesteaded for five years before deciding to return to town.
• Many families homesteaded on the Great Plains in the late 1800s.