escrow

American  

[es-kroh, ih-skroh, ih-skroh, es-kroh] / ˈɛs kroʊ, ɪˈskroʊ, ɪˈskroʊ, ˈɛs kroʊ /

noun

1. 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.

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verb (used with object)

escrows, present (3rd person singular) escrowed, past participle, past escrowing present participle

1. to place in escrow.

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

idioms

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

escrow British  

/ ɛˈskrəʊ, ˈɛskrəʊ /

noun

1. 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

2. the state or condition of being an escrow (esp in the phrase in escrow )

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verb

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

escrow Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• escrowing
  present
• escrowed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• escrow
  simple
• escrows
  simple
• have escrowed
  perfect
• has escrowed
  perfect
• am escrowing
  progressive
• are escrowing
  progressive
• is escrowing
  progressive
• have been escrowing
  perfect progressive
• has been escrowing
  perfect progressive

Past

• escrowed
  simple
• had escrowed
  perfect
• was escrowing
  progressive
• were escrowing
  progressive
• had been escrowing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will escrow
  simple
• will have escrowed
  perfect
• will be escrowing
  progressive
• will have been escrowing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of escrow

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Anglo-French escro(u)we, from Old French escro(u)e; see scroll

Explanation

If you buy a house, you'll have to put money in escrow, which means you give it to a third party (like a bank), while the seller actually brings the deed and signs it over to you. The word escrow comes from the Old French escroue meaning "scrap, roll of parchment." Think of an escrow as a deed rolled up and delivered to a trusted person who hangs onto it, only giving out the money on the deed after the person who's supposed to get it does whatever he agreed to do. It's a safe way to do business, and prevents sellers from running off with your money before they've given you what you bought.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

escrow escrows escrowed

But then their mortgage company started withholding the couple’s insurance money it held in escrow — allocated specifically for the rebuild.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Hackman defaulted on a $1.1-billion mortgage in January and investment bank Goldman Sachs took over the property, which is now escrow for a sale to Netflix.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Note: Single-family mortgages that escrow property-tax and home-insurance payments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

Wilson says the board was seeking to have him put millions of dollars into an escrow account to cover a “hypothetical, potential future breach of the nondisparagement” clause.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

When the tenant told them what they already knew—that the money had been deposited in an escrow account—the officials left, but returned a half hour later and demanded that the man come downtown with them.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

He cites as evidence new escrows, which don’t record as sales until they close weeks or months later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026

Under Side, the company grew over the years into one of the nation’s larger surrogacy escrows, claiming to have served more than 1,000 clients with six employees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

Parents who spoke with the Journal said they assumed that the escrows operated like banks and were risk-free.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

“I have had to sell a home. It took three escrows and it’s a pain.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2018

In taking charge of escrows or conditional instruments or deeds delivered to a third party until the condition is performed, the trust company acts in a similar capacity, as the joint representative of both parties.

From Readings in Money and Banking Selected and Adapted by Phillips, Chester Arthur

You might also choose not to be escrowed, but there will likely be a fee for that privilege.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

California law already requires lenders to pay homeowners the interest on escrowed funds for property taxes and insurance but not for insurance payouts held in escrow, according to the governor’s office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2025

New York requires banks to pay at 2% interest on escrowed funds.

From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024

To ease the pain for developers, authorities have taken a slew of measures since late 2021, including giving real estate firms easier access to funds from escrowed accounts.

From Reuters ● Feb. 21, 2022

For example, escrowed filings on one-time assailants will never be investigated.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 9, 2015