property noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of property noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

property

noun
 
 
/ˈprɒpəti/
 
/ˈprɑːpərti/
(plural properties)
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  1.  
     [uncountable] a thing or things that are owned by somebody; a possession or possessions
    • personal/stolen property
    • This building is government property.
    • Be careful not to damage other people's property.
    see also intellectual property, lost property, public property
    Synonyms thingsthingsstuff ▪ property ▪ possessions ▪ junk ▪ belongings ▪ goods ▪ valuablesThese are all words for objects or items, especially ones that you own or have with you at a particular time.things (rather informal) objects, clothing or tools that you own or that are used for a particular purpose:
    • Shall I help you pack your things?
    • Bring your swimming things.
    stuff [U] (informal) used to refer to a group of objects when you do not know their names, when the names are not important or when it is obvious what you are talking about:
    • Where’s all my stuff?
    property [U] (rather formal) a thing or things that are owned by somebody:
    • This building is government property.
    • Be careful not to damage other people’s property.
    possessions things that you own, especially something that can be moved:
    • Prisoners were allowed no personal possessions except letters and photographs.
    junk [U] things that are considered useless or of little value:
    • I’ve cleared out all that old junk from the attic.
    belongings possessions that can be moved, especially ones that you have with you at a particular time:
    • Please make sure you have all your belongings with you when leaving the plane.
    goods (specialist or rather formal) possessions that can be moved:
    • He was found guilty of handling stolen goods.
    valuables things that are worth a lot of money, especially small personal things such as jewellery or cameras:
    • Never leave cash or other valuables lying around.
    Patterns
    • personal things/​stuff/​property/​possessions/​belongings
    • to collect/​gather/​pack (up) your things/​stuff/​possessions/​belongings
    • to search somebody’s/​your/​the things/​stuff/​property/​belongings
    • to go through somebody’s/​your/​the things/​stuff/​belongings
    Extra Examples
    • The market was known as a place where people disposed of stolen property.
    • The youths were convicted of defacing public property.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • personal
    • private
    • common
    • …
    verb + property
    • protect
    • dispose of
    • confiscate
    • …
    property + noun
    • rights
    phrases
    • be the exclusive property of somebody
    • be the sole property of somebody
    See full entry
  2.  
     [uncountable] land and buildings
    • The price of property has risen enormously.
    • A sign indicates that it is now private property.
    • commercial/residential property
    • property prices/values/taxes
    • a property developer/owner
    • property development/investment
    • a slump in the property market
    • The storms caused millions of pounds worth of property damage.
    see also community property
    Synonyms buildingbuildingproperty ▪ premises ▪ complex ▪ structure ▪ blockThese are all words for a structure such as a house, office block or factory that has a roof and four wallsbuilding a structure such as a house, an office block or a factory that has a roof and four walls.property a building or buildings and the surrounding land; land and buildings:
    • We have a buyer who would like to view the property.
    • The price of property has risen enormously.
    This word is often used when talking about buying/​selling houses or other buildings and land.    premises [pl.] the building or buildings and surrounding land that a business owns or uses:
    • The company is looking for larger premises.
    complex a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place:
    • a leisure complex
    structure a thing that is made of several parts, especially a building:
    • The pier is a wooden structure.
    block (British English) a tall building that contains flats or offices; a building that forms part of a school, hospital, etc. and is used for a particular purpose:
    • a block of flats
    • the school’s science block
    Patterns
    • a(n) commercial/​industrial/​residential building/​property/​premises/​complex/​block
    • an apartment building/​complex/​block
    • a/​the school building/​premises
    • to build a property/​complex/​structure/​block
    • to put up a building/​property/​structure/​block
    • to demolish/​pull down a building/​property/​complex/​structure/​block
    Extra Examples
    • How does it feel to be a woman of property?
    • Students are not allowed on school property outside of school hours.
    • They are living in rented property.
    Topics Buildingsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • freehold
    • leasehold
    • adjacent
    • …
    verb + property
    • hold
    • own
    • acquire
    • …
    property + noun
    • market
    • prices
    • values
    • …
    phrases
    • a man of property
    • a woman of property
    See full entry
  3.  
     [countable] (formal) a building or buildings and the surrounding land
    • to own/buy/purchase/acquire/sell a property
    • rental/investment properties
    • There are a lot of empty properties in the area.
    Synonyms buildingbuildingproperty ▪ premises ▪ complex ▪ structure ▪ blockThese are all words for a structure such as a house, office block or factory that has a roof and four wallsbuilding a structure such as a house, an office block or a factory that has a roof and four walls.property a building or buildings and the surrounding land; land and buildings:
    • We have a buyer who would like to view the property.
    • The price of property has risen enormously.
    This word is often used when talking about buying/​selling houses or other buildings and land.    premises [pl.] the building or buildings and surrounding land that a business owns or uses:
    • The company is looking for larger premises.
    complex a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place:
    • a leisure complex
    structure a thing that is made of several parts, especially a building:
    • The pier is a wooden structure.
    block (British English) a tall building that contains flats or offices; a building that forms part of a school, hospital, etc. and is used for a particular purpose:
    • a block of flats
    • the school’s science block
    Patterns
    • a(n) commercial/​industrial/​residential building/​property/​premises/​complex/​block
    • an apartment building/​complex/​block
    • a/​the school building/​premises
    • to build a property/​complex/​structure/​block
    • to put up a building/​property/​structure/​block
    • to demolish/​pull down a building/​property/​complex/​structure/​block
    Collocations Moving houseMoving house Renting
    • live in a rented/(especially North American English) rental property
    • rent/​share/​move into a furnished house/(British English) flat/(especially North American English) apartment
    • rent a studio/(British English) a studio flat/(especially North American English) a studio apartment/(British English) a bedsit
    • find/​get a housemate/(British English) a flatmate/(North American English) a roommate
    • sign/​break the lease/​rental agreement/​contract
    • extend/​renew/​terminate the lease/(British English) tenancy
    • afford/​pay the rent/​the bills/(North American English) the utilities
    • (especially British English) fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the rent
    • pay/​lose/​return a damage deposit/(North American English) security deposit
    • give/​receive a month’s/​two-weeks’ notice to leave/​vacate the property
    Being a landlord
    • have a flat/​an apartment/​a room (British English) to let/(especially North American English) for rent
    • rent (out)/lease (out)/ (British English) let (out)/sublet a flat/​an apartment/​a house/​a property
    • collect/​increase/​raise the rent
    • evict the existing tenants
    • attract/​find new/​prospective tenants
    • invest in rental property/(British English) property to let/(British English) the buy-to-let market
    Buying
    • buy/​acquire/​purchase a house/(a) property/(especially North American English) (a piece of) prime real estate
    • call/​contact/​use (British English) an estate agent/(North American English) a Realtor™/(North American English) a real estate agent/​broker
    • make/ (British English) put in an offer on a house
    • put down/​save for (British English) a deposit on a house
    • make/​put/​save for (especially North American English) a down payment on a house/​home
    • apply for/​arrange/​take out a mortgage/​home loan
    • (struggle to) pay the mortgage
    • make/​meet/​keep up/​cover the monthly mortgage payments/(British English also) repayments
    • (British English) repossess/ (especially North American English) foreclose on somebody’s home/​house
    Selling
    • put your house/​property on the market/​up for sale/​up for auction
    • increase/​lower your price/​the asking price
    • have/​hold/​hand over the deed/(especially British English) deeds of/​to the house, land, etc.
    Extra Examples
    • Once the tenants have left, the property will be put on the market.
    • The property was valued at $750 000.
    • They decided to rent out the property while they were abroad.
    • We have a potential buyer who wants to view the property.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • freehold
    • leasehold
    • adjacent
    • …
    verb + property
    • hold
    • own
    • acquire
    • …
    property + noun
    • market
    • prices
    • values
    • …
    phrases
    • a man of property
    • a woman of property
    See full entry
  4. [countable, usually plural] (formal) a quality or characteristic that something has
    • Compare the physical properties of the two substances.
    • a plant with medicinal properties
    • The substance has properties similar to plastic.
    • The difference occurs because of local variation in soil properties.
    Topics Physics and chemistryc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • biological
    • chemical
    • electrical
    • …
    verb + property
    • have
    • possess
    • display
    • …
    phrases
    • have properties similar to something
    See full entry
    5. Word OriginMiddle English: from an Anglo-Norman French variant of Old French propriete, from Latin proprietas, from proprius ‘one's own, particular’.
See property in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee property in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: property

Nearby words

reliable
adjective
 
 
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