estate tax

American  

noun

1. a tax imposed on a decedent's property, assessed on the gross estate prior to distribution to the heirs.

---

Etymology

Origin of estate tax

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

California is one of the many places without a state-level estate tax.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

Not only does Florida not have a state income tax, it doesn’t have an estate tax or an inheritance tax.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

He wants to increase the estate tax to 50% from 16% and impose a two percentage-point city tax surcharge on incomes over $1 million.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

As recently as 2009, the federal estate-tax exemption was $3.5 million for an individual, with the estate tax rate at 45% for anything above that exemption, according to the Tax Foundation External link.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

She does not know how or where to join in when her children are talking about Woody Allen movies or real estate tax laws or somebody’s yoga class.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Related Words

• death tax
• inheritance tax