Estate - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT estate /ɛsˈteɪt/ /ɪˈsteɪt/ IPA guide

Other forms: estates

The word estate is mostly used to mean a massive and fabulous house on a big piece of land. When you own an estate, it usually means you have a whole lot of money to go along with it.

While an estate refers mostly to land and a house on it, it can also refer to all of a person’s possessions — and this sense of the word is often used after someone has died to refer to everything they are leaving behind. “You are set to inherit half of your grandfather’s estate, which includes his entire collection of stuffed raccoons.” In the past (and sometimes still) estate was also used to refer to someone’s state or condition, as well as his or her social standing.

Definitions of estate

noun extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use “the family owned a large estate on Long Island” synonyms: acres, demesne, land, landed estate see moresee less types: show 15 types... hide 15 types... freehold an estate held in fee simple or for life glebe plot of land belonging to an English parish church or an ecclesiastical office leasehold land or property held under a lease smallholding a piece of land under 50 acres that is sold or let to someone for cultivation homestead land acquired from the United States public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating it under the homestead law feoff, fief a piece of land held under the feudal system barony the estate of a baron countryseat an estate in the country Crown land land that belongs to the Crown manor the landed estate of a lord (including the house on it) seigneury, seigniory, signory the estate of a seigneur hacienda, latifundium a large estate in Spanish-speaking countries plantation an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale (especially in tropical areas) entail land received by fee tail orangery a place where oranges are grown; a plantation of orange trees in warm climes or a greenhouse in cooler areas type of: immovable, real estate, real property, realty property consisting of houses and land
noun everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities see moresee less types: show 5 types... hide 5 types... gross estate the total valuation of the estate's assets at the time of the person's death net estate the estate remaining after debts and funeral expenses and administrative expenses have been deducted from the gross estate; the estate then left to be distributed (and subject to federal and state inheritance taxes) estate for life, life estate (law) an estate whose duration is limited to the life of the person holding it jointure, legal jointure (law) an estate secured to a prospective wife as a marriage settlement in lieu of a dower dower a life estate to which a wife is entitled on the death of her husband type of: belongings, holding, property something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
noun a major social class or order of persons regarded collectively as part of the body politic of the country (especially in the United Kingdom) and formerly possessing distinct political rights synonyms: estate of the realm, the three estates see moresee less types: show 4 types... hide 4 types... Lords Spiritual, first estate the clergy in France and the heads of the church in Britain Lords Temporal, second estate the nobility in France and the peerage in Britain Commons, third estate the common people fourth estate the press, including journalists, newspaper writers, photographers type of: class, social class, socio-economic class, stratum people having the same social, economic, or educational status

Pronunciation US /ɛsˈteɪt/ UK /ɪˈsteɪt/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘estate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family

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