personal property

American  

noun

Law.

1. an estate or property consisting of movable articles both corporeal, as furniture or jewelry, or incorporeal, as stocks or bonds (distinguished from real property).

   Synonyms:

   effects, chattel

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personal property British  

noun

1. Also called: personalty.  law movable property, such as furniture or money Compare real property

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personal property Cultural  

1. Furniture, automobiles, boats, and other possessions that are not included in the category of real property.

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Etymology

Origin of personal property

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

personal property

"The United States is the only country in the world where fossils like this are considered personal property," Cassandra Hatton, head of science and natural history at Sotheby's, told AFP before the auction.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Some jurisdictions also levy eye-watering personal property taxes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Throughout most of U.S. history, presidential records have been treated as the president’s personal property.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2026

A federal judge has found that the city of Los Angeles violated the constitutional rights of homeless people by seizing and destroying their personal property during cleanups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026

"I'm not dramatizing anything, it's my personal property that happens to be lying on my desk."

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison