community property

American  

noun

U.S. Law.

1. (in some states) property acquired by either spouse, or both together, that is considered by law to be jointly owned and equally shared.

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Etymology

Origin of community property

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Not all real estate purchased during marriage qualifies unambiguously as community property.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 6, 2025

Whether real estate is community property depends on when and how it was acquired — during the marriage or before marriage, paid for with separate or marital funds, etc.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 6, 2025

For couples without prenups and divorcing in one of the nine community property states, assets accrued during the marriage may be split 50/50.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2024

Shi’s son testified that, on a trip to Disneyland with his children in January 2016, his father raged over the state’s community property laws, which typically require an equal split of marital assets.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2024

“She’ll claim it’s community property, divvy it out to her minions, and there goes our emergency supply.”

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman