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⇱ ESCHEAT Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Definition
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escheat

1 of 2

noun

1
: escheated property
2
a
: the reversion of lands in English feudal law to the lord of the fee when there are no heirs capable of inheriting under the original grant
b
: the reversion of property to the crown in England or to the state in the U.S. upon the death of the owner when there are no legal heirs

escheat

2 of 2

verb

escheated; escheating; escheats

transitive verb

: to cause to revert by escheat

intransitive verb

: to revert by escheat

Examples of escheat 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.
Noun
The amount of escheat was as low as $33.8 million as recently as 2017. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025 From escheat, the legal forfeiture of property. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025 Links to state escheat offices can be found online at unclaimed.org, the website for the National Assn. of Unclaimed Property Administrators. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Liz Weston, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2024 That is the general escheat rule for personal property. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Dallas News, 16 Jan. 2022 Another thing to keep in mind is that escheat doesn't change your tax obligations. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Charles Read, Forbes, 16 Apr. 2021 The state Treasury Department collects unclaimed deposits, known as escheat, with 75% of the money going to the state's Cleanup and Redevelopment Trust Fund and the other 25% returned to retailers. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. 2020
Verb
If no close relatives exist, state law may dig up increasingly distant kin, and in extreme cases, your estate may even escheat to the state (which is a lawyerly way of saying the government gets it). β€”πŸ‘ Image
Ashley Case, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025 If clinics can’t locate patients and/or the patient is deceased, there are state laws that dictate the course of action (e.g. escheat or unclaimed property laws). β€”πŸ‘ Image
Jeff Gorke, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024 With our present constitutions of government, escheat can never have its feudal sense in the United States. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 19 Apr. 2024 In Texas, unlike many other states, unclaimed property does not generally escheat to the state. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Wesley E. Wright, Houston Chronicle, 16 Mar. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English eschete, from Anglo-French, reversion of property, from escheir to fall, devolve, from Vulgar Latin *excadΔ“re, from Latin ex- + Vulgar Latin *cadΔ“re to fall, from Latin cadere β€” more at chance

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of escheat was in the 14th century

Rhymes for escheat

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

β€œEscheat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escheat. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.

Legal Definition

escheat

1 of 2 noun
1
: escheated property
2
: the reversion of property to the state upon the death of the owner when there are no heirs

escheat

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to cause to revert by escheat

intransitive verb

: to revert by escheat
escheatable adjective
Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French eschete reversion of property, from Old French escheoite accession, inheritance, from feminine past participle of escheoir to fall (to), befall, ultimately from Latin ex- out + cadere to fall

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