fair use

noun

: a legal doctrine that portions of copyrighted materials may be used without permission of the copyright owner provided the use is fair and reasonable, does not substantially impair the value of the materials, and does not curtail the profits reasonably expected by the owner

Examples of fair use 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.
Separately, the government claims that limiting fair use would undercut competition in the market for large language models because only the largest tech companies would have the capital necessary to pay licensing fees. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 This Unlimited plan adds unlimited monthly messages under a fair use policy, priority access to new features and models, and support for unlimited devices. — New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026 The first case was settled out of court, with the artist denying allegations and claiming fair use through her legal representative. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 The study raises legal questions about training data and fair use policy, according to the authors. — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fair use

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fair use was in 1847

Rhymes for fair use

See All Rhymes for fair use

Browse Nearby Words

fair-trade law
fair use
fair wage
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Cite this Entry

“Fair use.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair%20use. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Legal Definition

fair use

see also:
use sense 2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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