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Glite Dictionary
right of re-entry

right of re-entry

9.9
An owner may take back property if someone breaks an agreement
  • noun
  • Formal
translation icon : derecho de reingreso
  • The landlord exercised his right of re-entry when the tenant failed to pay rent.

Examples

  • The lease contract clearly states the conditions under which the right of re-entry may be invoked.

  • If the building is not used as agreed, the owner retains a right of re-entry.

  • Landlords have a right of re-entry.

  • Tenants must know their rights of re-entry.

  • The landlord exercised his right of re-entry when the tenant failed to pay rent.

  • If the building is not used as agreed, the owner retains a right of re-entry.

  • The lease contract clearly states the conditions under which the right of re-entry may be invoked.

Surface Forms

right of re-entry singular
rights of re-entry plural

Morphology

right + of + re-entry

The phrase is compositional: 'right' (a legal entitlement) + 'of re-entry' (the act of entering again) yields the meaning 'an entitlement to enter or retake possession again.' Although it is a formal legal term, the components make the sense predictable and similar constructions exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun right of re-entry comes from the simple image of an owner keeping the right to make a re-entry, meaning to go back into a place if rules are broken. Imagine you let someone use your flat but keep a key and the promise you can 'come back in' and 'take back' the place if they break the agreement. That is why the phrase means the legal right to 'take back' property.