squatter

squat (occupy illegally)

verb skwah-TEH Rare

Also means

hog, monopolize (informal)

Usage Note

Squatter is borrowed from English and used colloquially for illegally occupying a building. In informal French it has widened to mean hogging a space or monopolizing something — squatter le canapé means to park oneself on the sofa for a long time. A person who squats is un squatteur / une squatteuse.

Examples

"Des familles squattent l'immeuble abandonné."

Natural Translation

Families are squatting in the abandoned building.

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