community property
5
4.0
- noun
- /kəˈmjunɪti ˈprɑpərti/
- Formal
:
bienes gananciales
- In 1979, Dorothy Boggs, who was entitled to half her husband's pension benefits under Louisiana's community property laws, died leaving her interest to the couple's children in her will.
- community property laws
- community property option
- community property state
When you are married, the money that is earned is Community property.
- When you are married, the money that is earned is Community property.
- If you own a property and you take title with a spouse as Community property with right of survivorship, this is.
Examples
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At the same time, the woman had to rely on the court to give her permission to manage her share of community property in the event that her husband proved irresponsible.
Academic text (1994) -
You and l own it, babe, community property.
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And this is a community property state, so I want my share.
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Well, in California they got a thing called a community property law.
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In states with community property laws, a woman may receive up to half of her husband's private pension.
Academic text (1990) -
The California community property laws can't be beat.
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Standard Community Property applies, and she is entitled to half of the marital assets, or $11.395 million!
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Many states follow the rule that all assets acquired during marriage are considered "community property." U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Basic Principles of Community Property Law, IRS.GOV, https://perma.cc/Z5E3-NP5K.
Academic text (2017) -
While a statute already in effect extends a limited number of rights to same-sex couples under California law, the new law will include such protections as access to divorce courts for dissolution of long-term relationships and for obligations relating to children, financial support during and after the relationship, community property rights, and consent for autopsies and the disposition of remains.
Academic text (2004) -
In community property states like California, both spouses share ownership of the income acquired during their marriage.
Antonyms
- Formal
1
6.1
Things someone owns that can be moved, not land and buildings, like a car or jewelry
How Public
- Formal
1
9.9
- Specialized
9
7.0
3
9.6
- Formal
5
4.0
68
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'community' (shared/in common) + 'property' (assets), so a B1 learner would likely infer it means 'property held in common' rather than something wholly idiomatic. However, its specific legal sense — property acquired during marriage owned jointly by spouses — is a narrower, jurisdiction-specific meaning that may not be fully predictable and could be misinterpreted as property belonging to a local community. Because the general shared‑ownership sense is clear but the exact marital/legal usage is specialized, it is best classified as partially transparent.
Etymology
Community property comes from the simple idea of a community sharing property: imagine a married couple putting everything they earn while married into one common box. That's why it means the things and money gained during marriage are 'owned together' by both spouses.