Definition

1. Noun:
   • The right of a government to take private property for public use: "Eminent domain" refers to the legal power of a government to acquire private land or property, provided it is for a public purpose, such as building roads, schools, or parks. This power is typically subject to the requirement that the government provides fair monetary compensation to the property owner.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The city invoked eminent domain to acquire the land needed for the new highway.
  • The property owner received compensation after the state exercised its power of eminent domain for the public park project.

Advanced Usage

• "To exercise eminent domain": to formally use the legal power to take private property.

  • The government agency had to exercise eminent domain to proceed with the infrastructure development.

• "Eminent domain proceedings": the legal process through which property is taken.

  • The lengthy eminent domain proceedings delayed the construction of the new hospital.

Variants and Related Words

• Condemnation (n): The legal act of taking private property for public use through eminent domain.

  • The property was acquired through condemnation.

• Expropriation (n): The action of the state in taking or modifying property rights, often used similarly to eminent domain, especially in international contexts.

  • The expropriation of the land was controversial.

Synonyms

• Compulsory purchase (chiefly UK): The power of an authority to purchase property without the owner's consent for public benefit.
• Taking (n, legal): The government's act of seizing private property for public use.

Related Phrases

• Public use: The purpose for which eminent domain can be exercised, meaning the property will be used for the benefit of the general public.

  • The court had to determine if the project constituted a valid public use.

• Just compensation: The fair market value payment that must be made to a property owner when eminent domain is used.

  • The Fifth Amendment guarantees just compensation for property taken by eminent domain.

Noun

1. 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