Phrase guide

fair use

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A doctrine in intellectual property law that permits one party to make use of another party's protected intellectual property (such as a copyright or trademark) under narrowly defined circumstances.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: copyright, intellectual-property, law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A doctrine in intellectual property law that permits one party to make use of another party's protected intellectual property (such as a copyright or trademark) under narrowly defined circumstances.

Use of another party's intellectual property that is protected by this doctrine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: copyright, intellectual-property, law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the conditions under which you can use material that is copyrighted by someone else without paying royalties

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: use, enjoyment

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ազատ օգտագործում (azat ōgtagorcum) — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Azerbaijani: ədalətli istifadə — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Azerbaijani: insaflı istifadə — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Chinese Mandarin: 合理使用 (hélǐ shǐyòng) — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Finnish: kohtuullinen käyttö — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • French: usage équitable — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Hindi: उचित उपयोग (ucit upyog) — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Japanese: フェアユース (feayūsu) — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Korean: 공정 이용 (gongjeong iyong) — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Romanian: utilizare cinstită — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Spanish: uso justo — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Spanish: uso legítimo — doctrine in intellectual property law
  • Vietnamese: sử dụng hợp lý — doctrine in intellectual property law