Examples of intestacy in a Sentence
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In practice, the remaining payments would most likely be handled in accordance to the probate and intestacy laws of a claimant’s state.
—
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 Dec. 2025
According to the Texas State Law Library, when someone dies without a will, their estate is divided under state intestacy laws outlined in the Texas Estates Code.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Dec. 2025
James did not leave a will, and so his money was divided between Fowell and his 28-year-old son, William Dinsdale, under intestacy rules.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025
Your assets will be distributed according to your state’s intestacy laws.
—True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Some individuals are aware of the negative consequences of intestacy and have drafted several wills but for many reasons never actually signed any.
—Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
The district judge, magistrate judge and administrative law judge concluded that, under Florida law, a child conceived after the father’s death, could inherit property only through a will and not intestacy, according to the appeals court.
—Jim Saunders, Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2022
The failures of intestacy laws reveal the limits in how our legal system characterizes the family unit.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 17 May 2022
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Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 Dec. 2025
According to the Texas State Law Library, when someone dies without a will, their estate is divided under state intestacy laws outlined in the Texas Estates Code.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Dec. 2025
James did not leave a will, and so his money was divided between Fowell and his 28-year-old son, William Dinsdale, under intestacy rules.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025
Your assets will be distributed according to your state’s intestacy laws.
—True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Some individuals are aware of the negative consequences of intestacy and have drafted several wills but for many reasons never actually signed any.
—Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
The district judge, magistrate judge and administrative law judge concluded that, under Florida law, a child conceived after the father’s death, could inherit property only through a will and not intestacy, according to the appeals court.
—Jim Saunders, Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2022
The failures of intestacy laws reveal the limits in how our legal system characterizes the family unit.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 17 May 2022
Cite this Entry
“Intestacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intestacy. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
intestacy
noun
in·tes·ta·cy
in-ˈtes-tə-sē 
plural intestacies
1
: the state of dying intestate : an intestate state or condition
the invalidation of the will resulted in her intestacy
2
: intestate succession at succession
wills should be construed to avoid intestacy whenever possible—Smith v. Estate of Peters, 741 P.2d 1172 (1987)
Smith v. Estate of Peters, 741 P.2d 1172 (1987)the remaining property passed by intestacy to the heirs
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