estate

American  

[ih-steyt] / ɪˈsteɪt /

noun

1. a piece of landed property, especially one of large extent with an elaborate house on it.

   to have an estate in the country.

2. Law.

   1. property or possessions.

   2. the legal position or status of an owner, considered with respect to property owned in land or other things.

   3. the degree or quantity of interest that a person has in land with respect to the nature of the right, its duration, or its relation to the rights of others.

   4. interest, ownership, or property in land or other things.

   5. the property of a deceased person, a bankrupt, etc., viewed as an aggregate.

3. British. a housing development.

4. a period or condition of life.

   to attain to man's estate.

5. a major political or social group or class, especially one once having specific political powers, as the clergy, nobles, and commons in France or the lords spiritual, lords temporal, and commons in England.

6. condition or circumstances with reference to worldly prosperity, estimation, etc.; social status or rank.

7. Obsolete. pomp or state.

8. Obsolete. high social status or rank.

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verb (used with object)

estated, estating

1. Obsolete. to establish in or as in an estate.

estate British  

/ ɪˈsteɪt /

noun

1. a large piece of landed property, esp in the country

2. a large area of property development, esp of new houses or ( trading estate ) of factories

3. property law

   1. property or possessions

   2. the nature of interest that a person has in land or other property, esp in relation to the right of others

   3. the total extent of the real and personal property of a deceased person or bankrupt

4. Also called: estate of the realm.  an order or class of persons in a political community, regarded collectively as a part of the body politic: usually regarded as being the lords temporal (peers), lords spiritual, and commons See also States General fourth estate

5. state, period, or position in life, esp with regard to wealth or social standing

   youth's estate

   a poor man's estate

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Related Words

See property.

Etymology

Origin of estate

1175–1225; Middle English estat < Middle French; cognate with Provençal estat. See state

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has put her legendary Los Angeles estate on the market for $29.9 million—nearly two years after confessing that she wanted to leave the U.S. for good and move abroad.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Crow, 64, bought both properties through a trust managed by her longtime financial manager—having chosen to relocate from a remote 150-acre farm to the Nashville estate when her children were getting ready to start preschool.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

A federal district judge on Friday rejected conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s bid to shield Infowars from liquidation, upholding a bankruptcy court ruling that the assets aren’t protected by his personal bankruptcy estate.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

The company has moved to monetize some of its real estate but rejected the takeover overture in 2024.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

The country estate was nestled between the shores of Quenz Lake and the pine-scented Brandenburg Forest.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• area
• farm
• parcel
• plantation
• ranch
• residence