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eminent domain

noun

Simple meaning

The right of the state to take private property for public use.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ehmuhnuhntdohmayn

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɛmənəntdoʊˈmeɪn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. USPhilippines

    The right of the state to take private property for public use; the Fifth Amendment that was added to the Constitution of the United States requires that just compensation be made

  2. usphilippines

    The right of a government over the private property within its jurisdiction. Usually invoked to compel land owners to sell their property in preparation for a major construction project such as a freeway.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

This meaning: The right of the state to take private property for public use; the Fifth Amendment that was added to the Constitution of the United States requires that just compensation be made

Used this way, eminent domain is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.