escrow
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
escrows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
escrowed,
past participle, past
-
escrowing
present participle
idioms
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
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
escrowsimple
-
escrowssimple
-
have escrowedperfect
-
has escrowedperfect
-
am escrowingprogressive
-
are escrowingprogressive
-
is escrowingprogressive
-
have been escrowingperfect progressive
-
has been escrowingperfect progressive
Past
-
escrowedsimple
-
had escrowedperfect
-
was escrowingprogressive
-
were escrowingprogressive
-
had been escrowingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing escrow
Ready Player One
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The Best of Enemies
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The agency said Jogesh worked with Frank Labruzzo, an attorney in the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, who provided a fraudulent escrow service - a bank account which holds funds until pre-arranged conditions are met.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Matt Roemer agreed to buy a home in January at a rate of under 6%, but he pulled out during escrow following an inspection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
While properties in this stage can end up back on the market if they fall out of escrow, it marks a very positive milestone in what has been a lengthy journey for Behar.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 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
According to his colleague at an escrow company, Milstein said, new escrows have increased up to 50% in markets across L.A.
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
Prices were slashed, escrows were rushed and million-dollar deals were closed as panicked sellers offered exotic cars and lucrative bonuses to anyone willing to buy their properties by the end of March.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2023
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 Chester Arthur Phillips
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
Money to pay the tax claims will be escrowed until the disputes are resolved, Califano said Friday.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 16, 2010
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
