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
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At the time, Putin demanded that Ukraine never be allowed into NATO, and that the bloc roll back its military footprint in Eastern and Central Europe – which the US and its allies dismissed as non-starters, condemning the invasion as a blatant land grab. Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025 Determined to punish Russia for this flagrant imperial land grab, but unwilling to risk war with a fellow nuclear power, U.S. officials again reached into their economic arsenal. Edward Fishman, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2025 February 2025 will see the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, widely seen as a war of aggression and unjustified land grab, but which Putin defends as necessary for his country's security against 's expansion. Shane Croucher, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024 The 2025 Maryland legislature, at the behest of the solar industry, is loading up to pass the greatest land grab in the state’s 247-year history, leading to a permanent destruction of Maryland’s farming lands. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Land grab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/land%20grab. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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