sharecropper

noun

share·​crop·​per ˈsher-ˌkrä-pər How to pronounce sharecropper (audio)
: a tenant farmer especially in the southern U.S. who is provided with credit for seed, tools, living quarters, and food, who works the land, and who receives an agreed share of the value of the crop minus charges

Examples of sharecropper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While many sharecroppers moved into these vacant dwellings, the rough sea, erosion and devastating hurricanes in 1885 and 1893 eventually made the area uninhabitable and forced the town to be abandoned before the 20th century, the Edisto Island website explained. Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 May 2025 The daughter of an Arkansas sharecropper, Weber, 76, has pushed back on efforts by President Donald Trump and others to limit voting access and reduce the number of days mail-in-ballots can be counted. Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2025 Among the rest of the cast, Omar Miller is excellent as Cornbread, a sharecropper who works the door of the club, and Li Jun Li as Grace, part of the Chinese couple (with Yao as Bo Chow) who run the grocery stores for both the poor and the rich in town. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025 Fannie Lou Hamer Fannie Lou Hamer was a Mississippi sharecropper turned fierce voting rights activist whose courage helped turn the trajectory of the Civil Rights Movement. Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sharecropper

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sharecropper was in 1871

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Cite this Entry

“Sharecropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharecropper. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

sharecropper

noun
share·​crop·​per ˈshe(ə)r-ˌkräp-ər How to pronounce sharecropper (audio)
ˈsha(ə)r-
: a farmer who works land for the owner in return for a share of the value of the crop

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