property

/ˈprɑpərdi/

/ˈprɒpəti/

Other forms: properties

What you own or have, like a car or clothes, is your property. The qualities that a thing has are its properties. Aloe is a plant with medicinal properties — it soothes burns.

If you see a sign that says, "Private property, keep off," the land-owner does not want you to go on his or her land. If you go on it anyway, you're trespassing. You'll often hear people talking about property values. When they say this, they really just mean how much the land they own is worth. People like to talk about property values when they are on the rise. When they are falling, not so much.

Definitions of property
  1. noun
    something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
    “that hat is my property”
    “he is a man of property”
    synonyms: belongings, holding
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    material possession, tangible possession
    property or belongings that are tangible
    worldly belongings, worldly goods, worldly possessions
    all the property that someone possess
    ratables, rateables
    property that provides tax income for local governments
    hereditament
    any property (real or personal or mixed) that can be inherited
    intellectual property
    intangible property that is the result of creativity (such as patents or trademarks or copyrights)
    community property
    property and income belonging jointly to a married couple
    personal estate, personal property, personalty, private property
    movable property (as distinguished from real estate)
    things
    any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
    immovable, real estate, real property, realty
    property consisting of houses and land
    commonage
    property held in common
    landholding
    a holding in the form of land
    salvage
    property or goods saved from damage or destruction
    shareholding
    a holding in the form of shares of corporations
    church property, spirituality, spiritualty
    property or income owned by a church
    lease, letting, rental
    property that is leased or rented out or let
    trade-in
    an item of property that is given in part payment for a new one
    public property
    property owned by a government
    wealth
    property that has economic utility: a monetary value or an exchange value
    estate
    everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
    heirloom
    (law) any property that is considered by law or custom as inseparable from an inheritance is inherited with that inheritance
    stockholding, stockholdings
    a specific number of stocks or shares owned
    trust
    something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
    asset
    a valuable item that someone owns
    chattel, movable, personal chattel
    personal as opposed to real property; any tangible movable property (furniture or domestic animals or a car etc)
    effects, personal effects
    property of a personal character that is portable but not used in business
    acres, demesne, estate, land, landed estate
    extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
    temporality, temporalty
    the worldly possessions of a church
    benefice, ecclesiastical benefice
    an endowed church office giving income to its holder
    car rental, hire car, rent-a-car, self-drive, u-drive, you-drive
    a rented car
    sublease, sublet
    a lease from one lessee to another
    land
    the land on which real estate is located
    dead hand, mortmain
    real property held inalienably (as by an ecclesiastical corporation)
    money
    wealth reckoned in terms of money
    clobber, stuff
    informal terms for personal possessions
    gross estate
    the total valuation of the estate's assets at the time of the person's death
    net estate
    the estate remaining after debts and funeral expenses and administrative expenses have been deducted from the gross estate; the estate then left to be distributed (and subject to federal and state inheritance taxes)
    estate for life, life estate
    (law) an estate whose duration is limited to the life of the person holding it
    jointure, legal jointure
    (law) an estate secured to a prospective wife as a marriage settlement in lieu of a dower
    active trust
    a trust in which the trustee must perform certain duties
    blind trust
    a trust that enables a person to avoid possible conflict of interest by transferring assets to a fiduciary; the person establishing the trust gives up the right to information about the assets
    passive trust
    a trust in which the trustee performs no active duties
    charitable trust, public trust
    a trust created for charitable or religious or educational or scientific purposes
    Clifford trust, grantor trust
    a trust established to shift the income to someone who is taxed at a lower rate than the grantor for a period of 10 years or more
    implied trust
    a trust inferred by operation of law
    direct trust, express trust
    a trust created by the free and deliberate act of the parties involved (usually on the basis of written documentation)
    discretionary trust
    a trust that gives the trustee discretion to pay the beneficiary as much of the trust income as the trustee believes appropriate
    inter vivos trust, living trust
    a trust created and operating during the grantor's lifetime
    spendthrift trust
    a trust created to maintain a beneficiary but to be secure against the beneficiary's improvidence
    testamentary trust
    a trust that is created under a will and that becomes active after the grantor dies
    Totten trust, savings account trust, savings bank trust, trust account, trustee account
    a savings account deposited by someone who makes themselves the trustee for a beneficiary and who controls it during their lifetime; afterward the balance is payable to the previously named beneficiary
    voting trust
    an agreement whereby persons owning stock with voting powers retain ownership while transferring the voting rights to the trustees
    type of:
    possession
    anything owned or possessed
  2. noun
    any area set aside for a particular purpose
    “the president was concerned about the property across from the White House”
    synonyms: place
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    boatyard
    a place where boats are built or maintained or stored
    sanctuary
    a consecrated place where sacred objects are kept
    center, centre
    a place where some particular activity is concentrated
    colony
    a place where a group of people with the same interest or occupation are concentrated
    hatchery
    a place where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions (especially fish eggs)
    customs
    the place at an airport or port where officials screen incoming travelers and goods
    holy of holies, sanctum sanctorum
    (Judaism) sanctuary comprised of the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle in the temple of Solomon where the Ark of the Covenant was kept
    Tabernacle
    (Judaism) a portable sanctuary in which the Jews carried the Ark of the Covenant on their exodus
    nerve center, nerve centre
    a center that provides information and control
    capital
    a center that is associated more than any other with some activity or product
    type of:
    geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region
    a demarcated area of the Earth
  3. noun
    any movable articles or objects used on the set of a play or movie
    synonyms: prop
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    types:
    custard pie
    a prop consisting of an open pie filled with real or artificial custard; thrown in slapstick comedies
    type of:
    object, physical object
    a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
  4. noun
    a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class
    “a study of the physical properties of atomic particles”
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    actinism
    the property of radiation that enables it to produce photochemical effects
    isotropy, symmetry
    (physics) the property of being isotropic; having the same value when measured in different directions
    anisotropy
    the property of being anisotropic; having a different value when measured in different directions
    characteristic, device characteristic
    any measurable property of a device measured under closely specified conditions
    connectivity
    the property of being connected or the degree to which something has connections
    duality, wave-particle duality
    (physics) the property of matter and electromagnetic radiation that is characterized by the fact that some properties can be explained best by wave theory and others by particle theory
    genetic endowment, heredity
    the total of inherited attributes
    age
    how long something has existed
    fashion, manner, modality, mode, style, way
    how something is done or how it happens
    composition, constitution, make-up, makeup, physical composition
    the way in which someone or something is composed
    body, consistence, consistency, eubstance
    the property of holding together and retaining its shape
    disposition
    a natural or acquired habit or characteristic tendency in a person or thing
    feel, tactile property
    a property perceived by touch
    optics
    optical properties
    visual property
    an attribute of vision
    aroma, odor, odour, olfactory property, scent, smell
    any property detected by the olfactory system
    sound property
    an attribute of sound
    fullness, mellowness, richness
    the property of a sensation that is rich and pleasing
    taste property
    a property appreciated via the sense of taste
    saltiness
    the property of containing salt (as a compound or in solution)
    edibility, edibleness
    the property of being fit to eat
    bodily property
    an attribute of the body
    physical property
    any property used to characterize matter and energy and their interactions
    chemical property
    a property used to characterize materials in reactions that change their identity
    sustainability
    the property of being sustainable
    strength
    the property of being physically or mentally strong
    concentration
    the strength of a solution; number of molecules of a substance in a given volume
    weakness
    the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain
    temporal property
    a property relating to time
    viability
    (of living things) the state of being capable of normal growth and development
    spatial property, spatiality
    any property relating to or occupying space
    magnitude
    the property of relative size or extent (whether large or small)
    degree, grade, level
    a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
    size
    the property resulting from being one of a series of graduated measurements (as of clothing)
    hydrophobicity
    the property of being water-repellent; tending to repel and not absorb water
    analyticity
    the property of being analytic
    compositeness
    the property of being a composite number
    primality
    the property of being a prime number
    selectivity
    the property of being selective
    vascularity
    the property being vascular
    extension
    the ability to raise the working leg high in the air
    solubility, solvability
    the property (of a problem or difficulty) that makes it possible to solve
    insolubility, unsolvability
    the property (of a problem or difficulty) that makes it impossible to solve
    caliber, calibre, quality
    a degree or grade of excellence or worth
    gaseousness
    having the consistency of a gas
    hereditary pattern, inheritance
    (genetics) attributes acquired via biological heredity from the parents
    chronological age
    age measured by the time (years and months) that something or someone has existed
    bone age
    a person's age measured by matching their bone development (as shown by X rays) with bone development of an average person of known chronological age
    developmental age
    a measure of a child's development (in body size or motor skill or psychological function) expressed in terms of age norms
    fertilization age, fetal age, gestational age
    the age of an embryo counting from the time of fertilization
    mental age
    the level of intellectual development as measured by an intelligence test
    oldness
    the quality of being old; the opposite of newness
    newness
    the quality of being new; the opposite of oldness
    oldness
    the opposite of youngness
    youngness
    the opposite of oldness
    artistic style, idiom
    the style of a particular artist or school or movement
    drape
    the manner in which fabric hangs or falls
    fit
    the manner in which something fits
    form
    a particular mode in which something is manifested
    life style, life-style, lifestyle, modus vivendi
    a manner of living that reflects the person's values and attitudes
    setup
    the way something is organized or arranged
    signature, touch
    a distinguishing style
    wise
    a way of doing or being
    structure
    the manner of construction of something and the arrangement of its parts
    phenotype
    what an organism looks like as a consequence of the interaction of its genotype and the environment
    genetic constitution, genotype
    the particular alleles at specified loci present in an organism
    grain, texture
    the physical composition of something (especially with respect to the size and shape of the small constituents of a substance)
    viscosity, viscousness
    resistance of a liquid to shear forces (and hence to flow)
    thickness
    resistance to flow
    thinness
    a consistency of low viscosity
    hardness
    the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale
    softness
    the property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded
    breakableness
    the consistency of something that breaks under pressure
    unbreakableness
    a consistency of something that does not break under pressure
    porosity, porousness
    the property of being porous; being able to absorb fluids
    solidity, solidness
    the consistency of a solid
    aptness, propensity
    a disposition to behave in a certain way
    mordacity
    a disposition to biting
    predisposition
    a disposition in advance to react in a particular way
    proneness
    being disposed to do something
    separatism
    a disposition toward schism and secession from a larger group; the principles and practices of separatists
    inclination, tendency
    a characteristic likelihood of or natural disposition toward a certain condition or character or effect
    touch
    the feel of mechanical action
    texture
    the feel of a surface or a fabric
    texture
    the characteristic appearance of a surface having a tactile quality
    light, lightness
    the visual effect of illumination on objects or scenes as created in pictures
    dullness
    a lack of visual brightness
    softness
    a visual property that is subdued and free from brilliance or glare
    color, coloring, colour, colouring
    a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
    achromaticity, achromatism, colorlessness, colourlessness
    the visual property of being without chromatic color
    color property
    an attribute of color
    bouquet, fragrance, fragrancy, redolence, sweetness
    a pleasingly sweet olfactory property
    fetidness, foulness, malodorousness, rankness, stinkiness
    the attribute of having a strong offensive smell
    muskiness
    having the olfactory properties of musk
    sound
    the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
    quiet, silence
    the absence of sound
    musicality, musicalness
    the property of sounding like music
    harmony
    an agreeable sound property
    dissonance
    disagreeable sounds
    pitch
    the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
    registration
    (music) the sound property resulting from a combination of organ stops used to perform a particular piece of music; the technique of selecting and adjusting organ stops
    quality, timber, timbre, tone
    (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound)
    intensity, loudness, volume
    the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction)
    softness
    a sound property that is free from loudness or stridency
    rhythmicity
    the rhythmic property imparted by the accents and relative durations of notes in a piece of music
    rancidness
    the property of being rancid
    spice, spicery, spiciness
    the property of being seasoned with spice and so highly flavored
    brininess, salinity
    the relative proportion of salt in a solution
    brackishness
    the quality of being salty, as the saltiness of water
    acidity, sour, sourness
    the property of being acidic
    sweet, sweetness
    the property of tasting as if it contains sugar
    bitter, bitterness
    the property of having a harsh unpleasant taste
    palatability, palatableness
    the property of being acceptable to the mouth
    unpalatability, unpalatableness
    the property of being unacceptable to the mouth
    digestibility, digestibleness
    the property of being easy to digest
    indigestibility, indigestibleness
    the property of being difficult to digest
    bipedalism
    the bodily attribute of being bipedal; having two feet
    dominance, laterality
    superior development of one side of the body
    body-build, build, habitus, physique
    constitution of the human body
    avoirdupois, blubber, fat, fatness
    excess bodily weight
    leanness, spareness, thinness
    the property of having little body fat
    height, stature
    (of a standing person) the distance from head to foot
    bearing, carriage, posture
    characteristic way of bearing one's body
    physiology
    processes and functions of an organism
    physiological property
    a property having to do with the functioning of the body
    volatility
    the property of changing readily from a solid or liquid to a vapor
    absorption factor, absorptivity
    (physics) the property of a body that determines the fraction of the incident radiation or sound flux absorbed or absorbable by the body
    dissolubility, solubleness
    the property of being dissoluble
    drippiness
    the physical property of being soft and drippy
    reflection, reflectivity, reflexion
    the ability to reflect beams or rays
    bending, deflection, deflexion
    the property of being bent or deflected
    temperature
    the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
    H, enthalpy, heat content, total heat
    (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity equal to the internal energy of a system plus the product of its volume and pressure
    S, entropy, randomness
    (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity representing the amount of energy in a system that is no longer available for doing mechanical work
    perceptibility
    the property of being perceptible by the mind or the senses
    invisibility, invisibleness
    the quality of not being perceivable by the eye
    brightness, brightness level, light, luminance, luminosity, luminousness
    the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light
    inaudibility, inaudibleness
    the quality of not being perceptible by the ear
    imperceptibility
    the property of being imperceptible by the mind or the senses
    reluctivity
    (physics) the resistance of a material to the establishment of a magnetic field in it
    sensitiveness, sensitivity
    the ability to respond to physical stimuli or to register small physical amounts or differences
    magnetisation, magnetization
    the physical property of being magnetic
    elasticity, snap
    the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed
    malleability, plasticity
    the property of being physically malleable; the property of something that can be worked or hammered or shaped without breaking
    inelasticity
    the lack of elasticity
    unmalleability
    a lack of malleability
    mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
    weight
    the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
    momentum
    the product of a body's mass and its velocity
    good part
    a place of especial strength
    brawn, brawniness, heftiness, muscle, muscularity, sinew
    possessing muscular strength
    might, mightiness, power
    physical strength
    dynamism, heartiness, vigor, vigour
    active strength of body or mind
    hardiness, lustiness, robustness, validity
    the property of being strong and healthy in constitution
    huskiness, ruggedness, toughness
    the property of being big and strong
    littleness, smallness
    the property of having relatively little strength or vigor
    stalwartness, stoutness
    the property of being strong and resolute
    sturdiness
    the property of something that is strongly built
    firmness, soundness
    the muscle tone of healthy tissue
    indomitability, invincibility
    the property being difficult or impossible to defeat
    endurance
    the power to withstand hardship or stress
    invulnerability
    the property of being invulnerable; the property of being incapable of being hurt (physically or emotionally)
    intensity, intensiveness
    high level or degree; the property of being intense
    titer, titre
    the concentration of a solution as determined by titration
    hydrogen ion concentration
    the number of moles of hydrogen ions per cubic decimeter
    molal concentration, molality
    concentration measured by the number of moles of solute per kilogram of solvent
    M, molar concentration, molarity
    concentration measured by the number of moles of solute per liter of solution
    adynamia
    lack of strength or vigor (especially from illness)
    feebleness, tenuity
    the quality of lacking intensity or substance
    faintness
    the property of being without strength
    flimsiness, shoddiness
    the property of weakness by virtue of careless construction
    delicacy, fragility
    lack of physical strength
    insubstantiality
    lack of solid substance and strength
    attenuation
    the property of something that has been weakened or reduced in thickness or density
    enervation
    lack of vitality
    fatigability
    susceptibility to fatigue; a tendency to get tired or lose strength
    inanition, lassitude, lethargy, slackness
    weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy
    soft spot, weak part, weak spot
    a place of especial vulnerability
    vulnerability
    susceptibility to injury or attack
    temporal arrangement, temporal order
    arrangement of events in time
    duration, length
    continuance in time
    fugacity
    the tendency of a gas to expand or escape
    clip, pace, rate
    the relative speed of progress or change
    dimensionality
    the spatial property of having dimensions
    directionality
    the property of being directional or maintaining a direction
    configuration, conformation, contour, form, shape
    any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
    balance, correspondence, symmetricalness, symmetry
    (mathematics) an attribute of a shape or relation; exact reflection of form on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane
    asymmetry, dissymmetry, imbalance
    a lack of symmetry
    obliqueness
    the property of being neither parallel nor perpendicular, but at a slanting angle
    attitude, position, posture
    the arrangement of the body and its limbs
    absolute magnitude
    (astronomy) the magnitude that a star would have if it were viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs (32.62 light years) from the earth
    dimension, proportion
    magnitude or extent
    order, order of magnitude
    a degree in a continuum of size or quantity
    dimension
    the magnitude of something in a particular direction (especially length or width or height)
    grind
    the grade of particle fineness to which a substance is ground
    degree
    the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime)
    depth
    degree of psychological or intellectual profundity
    extra large
    a garment size for a very large person
    large
    a garment size for a large person
    number
    a clothing measurement
    8vo, eightvo, octavo
    the size of a book whose pages are made by folding a sheet of paper three times to form eight leaves
    outsize
    an unusual garment size (especially one that is very large)
    petite
    a garment size for short or slender women
    4to, quarto
    the size of a book whose pages are made by folding a sheet of paper twice to form four leaves
    regular
    a garment size for persons of average height and weight
    small
    a garment size for a small person
    stout
    a garment size for a large or heavy person
    tall
    a garment size for a tall person
    highness
    a high degree (of amount or force etc.)
    high
    a lofty level or position or degree
    low
    a low level or position or degree
    lowness
    a low or small degree of any quality (amount or force or temperature etc.)
    extreme
    the furthest or highest degree of something
    amplitude
    greatness of magnitude
    amplitude level
    the level on a scale of amplitude
    multiplicity
    the property of being multiple
    triplicity
    the property of being triple
    size
    the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
    size
    a large magnitude
    bulk, mass, volume
    the property of something that is great in magnitude
    muchness
    greatness of quantity or measure or extent
    intensity, intensity level, strength
    the amount of energy transmitted (as by acoustic or electromagnetic radiation)
    amount
    the relative magnitude of something with reference to a criterion
    moderateness, moderation
    quality of being moderate and avoiding extremes
    immoderateness, immoderation
    the quality of being excessive and lacking in moderation
    SPF, sun protection factor
    the degree to which a sunscreen protects the skin from the direct rays of the sun
    extent
    the distance or area or volume over which something extends
    length
    the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
    response
    the manner in which an electrical or mechanical device responds to an input signal or a range of input signals
    karyotype
    the appearance of the chromosomal makeup of a somatic cell in an individual or species (including the number and arrangement and size and structure of the chromosomes)
    tang
    a pungent and distinctive odor
    acoustics
    the characteristics or qualities that determine how sound is heard in an enclosed space
    type of:
    attribute
    an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity
  5. noun
    a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished
    “self-confidence is not an endearing property”
    synonyms: attribute, dimension
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    types:
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    character, lineament, quality
    a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something
    characteristic, feature
    a prominent attribute or aspect of something
    feature, feature of speech
    (linguistics) a distinctive characteristic of a linguistic unit that serves to distinguish it from other units of the same kind
    sex character, sex characteristic, sexual characteristic
    those characteristics (both anatomical and psychological) that are strongly associated with one sex relative to the other
    texture
    the essential quality of something
    invariant
    a feature (quantity or property or function) that remains unchanged when a particular transformation is applied to it
    aspect, facet
    a distinct feature or element in a problem
    attracter, attraction, attractive feature, attractor, magnet
    a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts
    badge
    any feature that is regarded as a sign of status (a particular power or quality or rank)
    centerpiece, centrepiece
    the central or most important feature
    contour
    a feature (or the order or arrangement of features) of anything having a complex structure
    excellence, excellency
    an outstanding feature; something in which something or someone excels
    external
    outward features
    distinctive feature, distinguishing characteristic, peculiarity
    an odd or unusual characteristic
    safety feature
    feature of an artifact that is added to insure a user's safety
    type of:
    concept, conception, construct
    an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances
Pronunciation
US

/ˈprɑpərdi/
UK

/ˈprɒpəti/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘property'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family

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