Meaning & use
easement
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Meanings
nouncountable
A legal right to use another person's land for a particular purpose, without owning it.
Grammar: Countable; often used with an indefinite article or in the plural.
Patterns
- an easement over something
- an easement on something
- grant an easement
- have an easement
The utility company has an easement to run power lines across the farm.
They bought the house knowing there was an easement for the neighbor's driveway.
The deed mentions an easement that allows access to the lake.
noununcountableformalliterary
The act of making something less severe or painful; relief.
Grammar: Uncountable; used in formal or literary contexts.
Patterns
- easement of something
The medicine brought some easement of her pain.
He sought easement from his grief in long walks.
Word forms
| plural | easements |
|---|
Common combinations
- grant an easement
- The owner agreed to grant an easement so the pipeline could cross the property.
- an easement over the land
- The right of way is an easement over the land.
- a permanent easement
- The county holds a permanent easement along the road.
- an easement by prescription
- After years of use, they claimed an easement by prescription.
Synonyms and how they differ
- right of way
- A right to pass across land; often the practical result of an easement, but not all easements are rights of way.
- relief
- A more general word for the easing of pain or trouble; 'easement' in this sense is formal and less common.
Word family
Commonly confused: easement or encroachment?
easement vs encroachment
An encroachment is an illegal intrusion onto someone's land; an easement is a legal right to use it.
Practice
The power company has a legal right to cross the farmer's land to maintain lines. This right is called a(n) ______.
Choose one answer.
An easement is a right to use another's land for a specific purpose. A lease is a rental agreement, a mortgage is a loan secured by property, and a deed is a document transferring ownership.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “easement”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.