estate tax

noun

: a tax in the form of a percentage of the taxable estate that is imposed on a property owner's right to transfer the property to others after his or her death compare inheritance tax sense 1

Examples of estate tax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Obama presided over the lowest estate tax rate since Herbert Hoover’s time, 35 percent in 2010 and 2011. —Brian Domitrovic, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025

As of this year, 12 states and the District of Columbia have an estate tax, according to the Tax Foundation. —Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 20 July 2025

Fluctuations in capital gains taxes, estate tax thresholds and tariffs make planning difficult and reduce business value in the eyes of potential buyers. —Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 23 June 2025

After Whitney Houston died in 2012, an estate tax dispute arose with the IRS over the value of her entertainment royalties, residual income, and other assets. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for estate tax

• anticlimax
• counterattacks
• hemothorax
• mesothorax
• metathorax
• pneumothorax
• almanacs
• carrybacks
• haversacks
• lumberjacks
• maniacs
• microcracks

Legal Definition

estate tax

noun

: an excise in the form of a percentage of the taxable estate that is imposed on a property owner's right to transfer the property to others after his or her death

called also succession tax

see also unified transfer tax compare gift tax, inheritance tax