eminent domain

American

noun

Law.

the power of the state to take private property for public use with payment of compensation to the owner.

eminent domain British

noun

law the right of a state to confiscate private property for public use, payment usually being made to the owners in compensation

"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

eminent domain Cultural

The right of a government to take private property for a public purpose, usually with just compensation of the owner.

Etymology

Origin of eminent domain

First recorded in 1730–40

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.

That website, whose content is password protected and could not be directly reviewed by The Washington Post, has been hosted by Amazon Web Services since April, according to online domain records.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 27, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023