Eminent domain in the United States

In the United States, eminent domain is the power of a state or the federal government to take private property for public use while requiring just compensation to be given to the original owner. It can be legislatively delegated by the state to municipalities, government subdivisions, or even to private persons or corporations, when they are authorized to exercise the functions of public character.

Source: Wikipedia — Eminent domain in the United States (CC BY-SA 4.0)