land grab

or land-grab

noun

the seizing of land by a nation, state, or organization, especially illegally, underhandedly, or unfairly.

Related formsland-grab·ber, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for landgrab

landgrab

noun

informal a sudden attempt to establish ownership of or copyright on something in advance of competitors

Word Origin for landgrab

C20: from the competition to stake claims to available land in 19th-century America

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