public domain

noun

1

: land owned directly by the government

2

: the realm embracing property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone

Examples of public domain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In other words, the impact of public domain works extends far beyond the box office and Billboard charts. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 Dec. 2024

Some day a public domain horror spinoff may come along that’s witty and inventive — good for more than just an excuse for drinking games. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024

On the other hand, Natural Earth is a public domain map dataset that allows people to make big-scale maps. —Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024

The images in the experience are largely from NASA’s public domain collection, says Clavio, as the ultimate goal for the space elevator is to pitch it to museums and schools. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

public domain

noun

public do·​main

-dō-ˈmān

1

: land owned directly by the government

2

: the realm or status of property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone