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

See Examples For:

community property

Until now, filing a joint petition was permitted only in limited circumstances, including when the couple had been married for fewer than five years and where their community property assets were worth less than $25,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026

“However, community property can be changed to a tenancy in common via divorce proceedings to allow each co-owner the ability to transfer their shares to heirs.”

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 6, 2025

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

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 6, 2025

All these awards are community property no matter how people talk about it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2025

“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