What does "property" mean?
Something that is owned.
Property
/ˈpɹɒp.ə.ti/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that is owned.
- Grammar: property is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: attribute, belongings, characteristic, acquirement.
- Useful contrasts: entity as a whole, italian entità.
- Usage evidence: Few rich men own their own property.
How to use "property"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "property" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "property" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "property" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "property" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "property" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "attribute" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "property", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something that is owned. countable, uncountable
"Leave those books alone! They are my property."
- 2 any movable articles or objects used on the set of a play or movie wordnet
- 3 A piece of real estate, such as a parcel of land. countable, uncountable
"There is a large house on the property."
- 4 a basic or essential property shared by all members of a class wordnet
- 5 Real estate; the business of selling houses. British, countable, uncountable
"He works in property as a housing consultant."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished wordnet
- 7 The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing of a thing. countable, uncountable
- 8 any area set aside for a particular purpose wordnet
- 9 An attribute or abstract quality associated with an individual, object or concept. countable, uncountable
"Charm is his most endearing property."
- 10 something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone wordnet
- 11 An attribute or abstract quality which is characteristic of a class of objects. countable, uncountable
"Matter can have many properties, including color, mass and density."
- 12 An editable or read-only parameter associated with an application, component or class; especially (object-oriented programming) one that encapsulates an underlying variable. countable, uncountable
"You need to set the debugging property to "verbose"."
- 13 A prop, an object used in a dramatic production. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
"Costumes and scenery are distinguished from property properly speaking."
- 14 A script, book, screenplay, or the like that is on the market or has been bought for commercial production as a stage play, movie, or the like. US, countable, uncountable
- 15 A script, book, screenplay, or the like that is on the market or has been bought for commercial production as a stage play, movie, or the like.; A produced stage play, movie, or the like. US, broadly, countable, rare, uncountable
"Is the property in which you are playing currently on Broadway – is it a musical?"
- 16 Propriety; correctness. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"it is well knowne that I have the property to keepe counsaile"
Verb
- 1 To invest with properties, or qualities. obsolete
"His voyce was propertied As all the tuned Spheres, and that to Friends"
- 2 To make a property of; to appropriate. obsolete
"Your grace shall pardon me, I will not back: I am too high-born to be propertied, To be a secondary at control, Or useful serving-man and instrument, To any sovereign state throughout the world."
Antonyms
entity as a wholeitalian entità
Example
"Few rich men own their own property."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "property"?
Common synonyms include: attribute, belongings, characteristic, acquirement, acquisition, acreage.
How do you use "property" in a sentence?
Few rich men own their own property.
How do you pronounce "property"?
Pronounced /ˈpɹɒp.ə.ti/.
Etymology
From Middle English propertee, properte, propirte, proprete, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French propreté, proprieté (“propriety, fitness, property”), from Latin proprietās (“a peculiarity, one's peculiar nature or quality, right or fact of possession, property”), from proprius (“special, particular, one's own”). Equivalent to proper + -ty. Doublet of propriety.