definitions

escrow

[ noun es-kroh, ih-skroh; verb ih-skroh, es-kroh ]
/ noun ˈɛs kroʊ, ɪˈskroʊ; verb ɪˈskroʊ, ˈɛs kroʊ /
Law.
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noun

a contract, deed, bond, or other written agreement deposited with a third person, by whom it is to be delivered to the grantee or promisee on the fulfillment of some condition.

verb (used with object)

to place in escrow: The home seller agrees to escrow the sum of $1000 with his attorney.

RELATED WORDS

pledge, deed, security, bond, insurance, guarantee

Nearby words

escort, escort carrier, escort fighter, escribe, escritoire, escrow, escuage, escudero, escudo, escuintla, esculapian

Idioms

    in escrow, in the keeping of a third person for delivery to a given party upon the fulfillment of some condition.

Origin of escrow

1590–1600; < Anglo-French escro(u)we, Old French escro(u)e. See scroll
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for escrow

British Dictionary definitions for escrow

escrow

/ (ˈɛskrəʊ, ɛˈskrəʊ) law /

noun

money, goods, or a written document, such as a contract bond, delivered to a third party and held by him pending fulfilment of some condition
the state or condition of being an escrow (esp in the phrase in escrow)

verb (tr)

to place (money, a document, etc) in escrow

Word Origin for escrow

C16: from Old French escroe, of Germanic origin; see screed, shred, scroll
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for escrow

escrow

[ (es-kroh) ]

The condition of being ineffective until certain conditions are met. For example, money inherited by a minor might be held in escrow until the heir reaches a certain age. Homeowners with mortgages frequently pay money for insurance and taxes on their home into an escrow account each month. The holder of the mortgage then pays the insurance and tax bills out of the escrow account when the bills are due.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.