Phrase guide

intellectual property

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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1

noun

Meaning 1

A kind of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect, such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: copyright, intellectual-property, law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: IP

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any individual work that is protected under intellectual property law.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, usually

Topics: copyright, intellectual-property, law

Examples

  • One area of current change concerns intellectual properties and intellectual property rights. "Intellectual Property Rights in Agriculture"
  • For technology companies, a well-constructed system for managing intellectual properties is fundamental to being able to extract full value from the properties "Profiting from Intellectual Capital: Extracting Value from Innovation" By Patrick H. Sullivan

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

intangible property that is the result of creativity (such as patents or trademarks or copyrights)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: property, belongings, holding

History

Etymology

First use appears c. 1769.

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مِلْكِيَّة فِكْرِيَّة — product of someone's intellect
  • Armenian: մտավոր սեփականություն (mtavor sepʻakanutʻyun) — product of someone's intellect
  • Azerbaijani: əqli mülkiyyət — product of someone's intellect
  • Chinese Cantonese: 知識產權 /知识产权 (zi1 sik1 caan2 kyun4) — product of someone's intellect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 知識產權 /知识产权 (zhīshi chǎnquán) — product of someone's intellect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 智慧財產 /智慧财产 (zhìhuì cáichǎn) — product of someone's intellect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 知識財產 /知识财产 (zhīshi cáichǎn) — product of someone's intellect
  • Czech: duševní vlastnictví — product of someone's intellect
  • Danish: immaterialret — product of someone's intellect
  • Danish: intellektuel ejendomsret — product of someone's intellect
  • Dutch: intellectueel eigendom — product of someone's intellect
  • Finnish: immateriaalioikeudet — product of someone's intellect
  • French: propriété intellectuelle — product of someone's intellect
  • Galician: propiedade intelectual — product of someone's intellect
  • Georgian: ინტელექტუალური საკუთრება (inṭelekṭualuri saḳutreba) — product of someone's intellect
  • German: geistiges Eigentum — product of someone's intellect
  • Greek: διανοητική ιδιοκτησία (dianoïtikí idioktisía) — product of someone's intellect
  • Hebrew: קניין רוחני (kinyán rukhaní) — product of someone's intellect
  • Indonesian: kekayaan intelektual — product of someone's intellect
  • Japanese: 知的財産 (chiteki zaisan) — product of someone's intellect
  • Kazakh: зияткерлік меншік (ziätkerlık menşık) — product of someone's intellect
  • Korean: 지적재산 (jijeokjaesan) — product of someone's intellect
  • Malay: harta intelektual — product of someone's intellect
  • Mongolian: оюуны өмч (ojuuny ömč) — product of someone's intellect
  • Mongolian: мэдлэгийн өмч (medlegiin ömč) — product of someone's intellect
  • Mongolian: мэдлэгийн бүтээгдэхүүн (medlegiin büteegdexüün) — product of someone's intellect
  • Polish: własność intelektualna — product of someone's intellect
  • Portuguese: propriedade intelectual — product of someone's intellect
  • Romanian: proprietate intelectuală — product of someone's intellect
  • Russian: интеллектуа́льная со́бственность (intellektuálʹnaja sóbstvennostʹ) — product of someone's intellect
  • Spanish: propiedad intelectual — product of someone's intellect
  • Swedish: immaterialrätt — product of someone's intellect
  • Tibetan: བསམ་བློའི་རྒྱུ་ནོར (bsam blo'i rgyu nor) — product of someone's intellect
  • Tibetan: རིག་ནོར — product of someone's intellect
  • Ukrainian: інтелектуа́льна вла́сність (intelektuálʹna vlásnistʹ) — product of someone's intellect
  • Vietnamese: sở hữu trí tuệ — product of someone's intellect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 知識產品 /知识产品 (zhīshi chǎnpǐn) — individual work
  • Dutch: intellectueel eigendom — individual work
  • Finnish: immateriaaliomaisuus — individual work
  • Finnish: immateriaaliomaisuuteen kuuluva teos — individual work
  • Polish: własność intelektualna — individual work