property right

noun

|Updated on: 25 Jun 2018

Definition of property right

: a legal right or interest in or against specific property

Recent Examples of property right from the Web

The president has been threatening tariffs against China since US officials concluded that Beijing abuses American intellectual-property rights.

— andrew mayeda, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump said to shape China tariff list to focus more on high tech," 14 June 2018
An attorney for Make Him Smile, a company founded and run by Farley's family to protect his publicity and property rights, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

— Fox News, "Chris Farley family settles lawsuit over bike name," 6 June 2018
The right was reserved in those treaties in return for the tribes turning over their property right to nearly all of Western Washington.

— lynda v. mapes, The Seattle Times, "Supreme Court showdown: Washington’s attorney general vs. tribes over salmon habitat," 18 Apr. 2018
The imminent passage of a Sanctions and Anti-Money-Laundering Bill by Parliament could narrow the gap, and eliminate the grey area occupied by oligarchs who depend on the Kremlin for their wealth but enjoy property rights in the West.

— The Economist, "Roman Abramovich’s visa woes signal a shift in British policy on Russia," 24 May 2018
Authorities defended their response, saying that KFC has property rights and is allowed to ask individuals to leave.

— rick noack, Washington Post, "Black customers were thrown out of KFC in Berlin over ‘vandalism.’ They say all they did was ‘laugh’ loudly.," 24 May 2018
Lehman argued during the legislative session that the measure was an effort to strike a balance between protecting property rights and preserving local governments' ability to self-regulate.

— aileen chuang, Indianapolis Star, "No love for Airbnb? Carmel thumbs nose at Indiana's new short-term rentals law," 24 Mar. 2018
Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed.

— cassandra pollock and alex samuels, star-telegram, "Hysteria over Jade Helm exercise in Texas was fueled by Russians, former CIA director says | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 3 May 2018
None of these rulings was explicitly about whether patents are monopolies or property rights.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Supreme Court upholds patent review process, dealing trolls a blow," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'property right.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.