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Meaning & use

property

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈprɒpəti/
US/ˈprɑːpərti/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    Land, buildings or things that belong to someone.

    Grammar: Often used without a: private property, but a property can mean one building or lot.

    Patterns

    • private property
    • public property
    • property of someone

    Please keep off private property.

    The company owns several properties in the city.

    Stolen property was found in the garage.

  2. nouncountabletechnical

    A quality or feature that something naturally has.

    Grammar: Usually plural in science: the properties of metal.

    Patterns

    • a property of something
    • the properties of something

    Water has the property of dissolving many substances.

    Scientists test the chemical properties of the new material.

    Elasticity is a property of rubber.

  3. nouncountablespecialist

    An object used in a play or film, usually shortened to prop.

    Grammar: Theater word that is often replaced by the short form props.

    Patterns

    • the property master

    The property manager checked every item on the stage.

    The sword was a property made of foam.

    Each property had to be put back after the show.

Word forms

pluralproperties

Common combinations

private property
The sign said private property.
property tax
They pay property tax every year.
intellectual property
Software is protected as intellectual property.
property market
The property market is quiet this year.
chemical properties
The chemical properties of salt are well known.
personal property
Personal property was stored in the lockers.

Synonyms and how they differ

belongings
Belongings means personal things you own, while property can include land and buildings.
real estate
Real estate means land and buildings only, a narrower term than property.
attribute
Attribute is a general feature, while property is more scientific.
characteristic
Characteristic is a typical quality, whereas property often has an exact scientific meaning.

Word family

proper adjective
correct, or belonging
propertied adjective
owning land or property
properly adverb
in a correct way
landlord noun
owner who rents out property

Commonly confused: property or propriety?

property vs propriety

Propriety means proper behavior, while property means things you own or qualities something has.

Practice

In chemistry class we learned that a key ___ of metals is that they conduct electricity.

Make it your own

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