eminent domain
noun
: a right of a government to take private property for public use by virtue of the superior dominion of the sovereign power over all lands within its jurisdiction
Example Sentences
The state took the homes by eminent domain to build the new road.
Recent Examples on the Web Eventually, the city moved to acquire the land through eminent domain, in which the value of the land would be determined at trial. 
Ryan Gillespie, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2022 Rosalind Alexander-Kasparik of the historic Alexander Farm in Pilot Knob, Texas, also spoke about how her family’s land continues to face gentrification and eminent domain by the Texas Department of Transportation. Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Apr. 2022 And so much wealth has been stripped out of communities of color by redlining, redevelopment, and eminent domain. Christopher Marquis, Forbes, 2 Sep. 2021 In the late 1950s, the city seized neighborhood property through eminent domain and began demolitions in the name of urban renewal, forcing thousands of residents out of their family homes. Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022 The Manhattan Beach Board of Trustees took the land in 1924 through eminent domain with plans to build a park. Jordan D. Brown, USA TODAY, 21 July 2022 In August 2013, the Federal Housing Finance Agency vowed to cut off mortgage lending by the mortgage finance giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in localities that used eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages. New York Times, 21 June 2022 André Fuqua, a doctoral student at the University of Texas and Carolyn’s son, said Alabama used eminent domain in 1923 to seize Moore land to build the original highway, though the family never got a dime for it. John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 31 May 2022 In 1853 the city used eminent domain to take control of the land. CBS News, 6 Feb. 2022 See More
Ryan Gillespie, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2022 Rosalind Alexander-Kasparik of the historic Alexander Farm in Pilot Knob, Texas, also spoke about how her family’s land continues to face gentrification and eminent domain by the Texas Department of Transportation. Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Apr. 2022 And so much wealth has been stripped out of communities of color by redlining, redevelopment, and eminent domain. Christopher Marquis, Forbes, 2 Sep. 2021 In the late 1950s, the city seized neighborhood property through eminent domain and began demolitions in the name of urban renewal, forcing thousands of residents out of their family homes. Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022 The Manhattan Beach Board of Trustees took the land in 1924 through eminent domain with plans to build a park. Jordan D. Brown, USA TODAY, 21 July 2022 In August 2013, the Federal Housing Finance Agency vowed to cut off mortgage lending by the mortgage finance giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in localities that used eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages. New York Times, 21 June 2022 André Fuqua, a doctoral student at the University of Texas and Carolyn’s son, said Alabama used eminent domain in 1923 to seize Moore land to build the original highway, though the family never got a dime for it. John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 31 May 2022 In 1853 the city used eminent domain to take control of the land. CBS News, 6 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1783, in the meaning defined above
Legal Definition
eminent domain
noun
em·i·nent do·main
ˈe-mə-nənt-
: the right of the government to take property from a private owner for public use by virtue of the superior dominion of its sovereignty over all lands within its jurisdiction see also condemn, expropriate, take sense 1b
Note: The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires the government to compensate the owner of property taken by eminent domain, stating “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” State constitutions contain similar provisions requiring that the property owner receive just compensation for the property taken.