sharecropper

noun

share·​crop·​per ˈsher-ˌkrä-pər How to pronounce sharecropper (audio)
Synonyms of sharecroppernext
: 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.
Her father, a tobacco sharecropper, couldn’t read or write, and the family lived in a one-room cabin with no electricity. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Four score and three thousand songs ago, in the middle of a whopping winter storm, a sharecropper and his young wife brought forth upon this continent a baby girl named Dolly Parton. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026 Lee was a sharecropper who sometimes worked construction jobs to make ends meet, and Avie was a homemaker. — Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Wilson grew up in Louisiana as the son of a sharecropper and ran away from home with just an elementary education. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 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

Rhymes for sharecropper

See All Rhymes for sharecropper

Browse Nearby Words

sharecrop
sharecropper
shared
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sharecropper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharecropper. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

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

More from Merriam-Webster on sharecropper

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sharecropper

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All