variants or less commonly landgrab
: a usually swift acquisition of property (such as land or patent rights) often by fraud or force
land-grabber noun

Examples of land grab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Israeli troops have also seized a border buffer zone, sparking condemnation, with critics accusing Israel of violating the 1974 cease-fire and possibly exploiting the chaos in Syria for a land grab. Sarah El Deeb and Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024 Meanwhile, several Arab states have accused Israel of exploiting instability in Syria to execute a land grab. Mick Krever, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024 The industry's hunger has led to a data land grab: Companies are vying to teach their baby AIs using information sucked in from many different sources — sometimes with the owner's permission, often without it — before new laws and court rulings make that harder. Ina Fried, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 Tools for Humanity itself is venture-backed, and the foundation, in its land grab for the modern identity verification market and your personal biometric data, is focused on scale, scale, scale. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for land grab 

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of land grab was in 1860

Dictionary Entries Near land grab

Cite this Entry

“Land grab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/land%20grab. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

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