fee simple

American  

noun

1. fee4a

---

fee simple British  

noun

1. property law an absolute interest in land over which the holder has complete freedom of disposition during his life Compare fee tail

---

Etymology

Origin of fee simple

1425–75; late Middle English < Anglo-French

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fee simple

“Rather, the Court directed the Province of B.C. to negotiate with the Cowichan Nation to reconcile their Aboriginal title with the existing fee simple interests.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

Deeb notes that your father and his wife cannot prevent the sale of the home if you have a fee simple title, which gives you full ownership of the land and property.

From Slate ● Nov. 16, 2023

“The big thing is they can buy fee simple land,” said Choi, referring to private ownership.

From BusinessWeek ● Jun. 13, 2011

Bernarr Macfadden cannot buy the land in fee simple, for it is owned by Trinity Corporation, which represents Trinity Church.

From Time Magazine Archive

We must remember that in former days, a baron, or great lord, becoming possessed of a large tract of land, granted part of it to freemen for estates in fee simple.

From Legal Lore Curiosities of Law and Lawyers by Various