property

American  

[prop-er-tee] / ˈprɒp ər ti /

noun

• properties
  plural

1. that which a person owns; the possession or possessions of a particular owner.

   They lost all their property in the fire.

2. goods, land, etc., considered as possessions.

   The corporation is a means for the common ownership of property.

3. a piece of land or real estate.

   property on Main Street.

   Synonyms:

   acreage

4. ownership; right of possession, enjoyment, or disposal of anything, especially of something tangible.

   to have property in land.

5. something at the disposal of a person, a group of persons, or the community or public.

   The secret of the invention became common property.

6. an essential or distinctive attribute or quality of a thing.

   the chemical and physical properties of an element.

   Synonyms:

   feature

7. Logic.

   1. any attribute or characteristic.

   2. (in Aristotelian logic) an attribute not essential to a species but always connected with it and with it alone.

8. Also called prop. a usually movable item, other than costumes or scenery, used on the set of a theater production, motion picture, etc.; any object handled or used by an actor in a performance.

9. a written work, play, movie, etc., bought or optioned for commercial production or distribution.

10. a person, especially one under contract in entertainment or sports, regarded as having commercial value.

    an actor who was a hot property at the time.

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property British  

/ ˈprɒpətɪ /

noun

1. something of value, either tangible, such as land, or intangible, such as patents, copyrights, etc

2. law the right to possess, use, and dispose of anything

3. possessions collectively or the fact of owning possessions of value

4. 1. a piece of land or real estate, esp used for agricultural purposes

   2. ( as modifier )

      property rights

5. a ranch or station, esp a small one

6. a quality, attribute, or distinctive feature of anything, esp a characteristic attribute such as the density or strength of a material

7. obsolete logic another name for proprium

8. Usually shortened to: prop. any movable object used on the set of a stage play or film

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Synonym Usage

Property, chattels, effects, estate, goods refer to what is owned. Property is the general word: She owns a great deal of property. He said that the umbrella was his property. Chattels is a term for pieces of personal property or movable possessions; it may be applied to livestock, automobiles, etc.: a mortgage on chattels. Effects is a term for any form of personal property, including even things of the least value: All his effects were insured against fire. Estate refers to property of any kind that has been, or is capable of being, handed down to descendants or otherwise disposed of in a will: He left most of his estate to his niece. It may consist of personal estate (money, valuables, securities, chattels, etc.), or real estate (land and buildings). Goods refers to household possessions or other movable property, especially that comprising the stock in trade of a business: The store arranged its goods on shelves. See quality.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• propertyless
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• properties
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of property

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English proprete “possession, attribute, what is one's own,” from propre proper + -te -ty ²; see propriety

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Explanation

What you own or have, like a car or clothes, is your property. The qualities that a thing has are its properties. Aloe is a plant with medicinal properties — it soothes burns. If you see a sign that says, "Private property, keep off," the land-owner does not want you to go on his or her land. If you go on it anyway, you're trespassing. You'll often hear people talking about property values. When they say this, they really just mean how much the land they own is worth. People like to talk about property values when they are on the rise. When they are falling, not so much.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

property properties

Roughly two-thirds of JetBlue’s property, equipment and intangible assets are pledged as collateral, according to quarterly filings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Wonder seeks to evict Efferson after she allegedly refused to allow inspectors into the property earlier in the summer and failed to vacate the home in August, despite receiving a 30-day notice in late July.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

For Achiuwa, the combination of location, wellness amenities, and luxury hospitality appears to have made the development an appealing addition to his growing property portfolio.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

Almost six months after the U.S. military operation on Jan. 3 that captured Maduro on drug-trafficking charges—which Maduro denies—Rincón believed the political landscape had shifted enough for him to return and reclaim his property.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

I think about the dense woods cocooning the property, with the meandering, secret paths we made ourselves with wheelbarrows full of mulch.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

While the economics of new production shows have nosedived with the collapse of the broadcast monoculture, “Seinfeld” rights have remained one of highest dollar-fetching properties of the streaming era.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Online horror properties that seem like they could become the next “Backrooms” have sparked multimillion-dollar bidding wars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Both properties were identified as remaining in Manning’s ownership.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

Prosecutors also alleged that Zadrozny had failed to pay tax on four rental properties.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

He was a busy man with many properties.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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Related Words

• equity
• estate
• farm
• goods
• home
• house
• land
• ownership
• plot
• tract
• wealth
• worth

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