intellectual property
Americannoun
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Law. property that results from original creative thought, as patents, copyright material, and trademarks.
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an individual product of original creative thought.
Microsoft’s Halo franchise is one of the most profitable intellectual properties in the video game industry.
noun
Etymology
Origin of intellectual property
An Americanism dating back to 1840–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The intelligence community remains committed to safeguarding America's cutting-edge intellectual property from foreign threats," Clayton added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Another scheme is from British startup Books By People, which this week announced its certification mark for human-authored works had been registered by the country's intellectual property office.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Officials say the revised text of Zambia's new deal addresses concerns about privacy, intellectual property and benefit-sharing.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
He also has experience managing intellectual property and turning brands into movies and TV shows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
He didn’t answer when I asked whether he considered train tickets material or intellectual property.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
