right-of-way

Intermediate ⚖️ Legal

Definition

The legally sanctioned privilege to barrel through an intersection first, or more formally, an easement allowing you to build infrastructure across someone else's property. In practice, it's what every driver believes they have at all times, regardless of traffic signals or basic physics. Real estate developers particularly love this term when they need to run utilities through your backyard.

Example Usage

The city granted the utility company right-of-way to install fiber optic cables, which meant my carefully landscaped garden became a construction zone.

Source: Wiktionary via Dictionary definitions

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