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Synonyms

intellectual property

American  

noun

  1. Law. property that results from original creative thought, as patents, copyright material, and trademarks.

  2. an individual product of original creative thought.

    Microsoft’s Halo franchise is one of the most profitable intellectual properties in the video game industry.


intellectual property British  

noun

  1. an intangible asset, such as a copyright or patent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

Character.ai said before the bankruptcy filing it struck an agreement with Disney in which the entertainment company agreed to pay $20 million to license certain intellectual property from the AI startup.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

"The intelligence community remains committed to safeguarding America's cutting-edge intellectual property from foreign threats," Clayton added.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 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

Kreiz would have no shortage of valuable intellectual property to work with at Paramount and Warner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 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

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