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
escheated; escheating; escheats
: to cause to revert by escheat
: to revert by escheat
Examples of escheat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025
From escheat, the legal forfeiture of property.
—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.
—Liz Weston, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2024
That is the general escheat rule for personal property.
—Dallas News, 16 Jan. 2022
Another thing to keep in mind is that escheat doesn't change your tax obligations.
—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.
—Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. 2020
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).
—Jeff Gorke, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
With our present constitutions of government, escheat can never have its feudal sense in the United States.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 19 Apr. 2024
In Texas, unlike many other states, unclaimed property does not generally escheat to the state.
—Wesley E. Wright, Houston Chronicle, 16 Mar. 2018
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Noun
The amount of escheat was as low as $33.8 million as recently as 2017.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025
From escheat, the legal forfeiture of property.
—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.
—Liz Weston, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2024
That is the general escheat rule for personal property.
—Dallas News, 16 Jan. 2022
Another thing to keep in mind is that escheat doesn't change your tax obligations.
—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.
—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).
—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).
—Jeff Gorke, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
With our present constitutions of government, escheat can never have its feudal sense in the United States.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 19 Apr. 2024
In Texas, unlike many other states, unclaimed property does not generally escheat to the state.
—Wesley E. Wright, Houston Chronicle, 16 Mar. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Escheat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/escheat. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
escheat
1 of 2 noun
es·cheat
is-ˈchēt 
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
: 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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