garnishment

American  

[gahr-nish-muhnt] / ˈgɑr nɪʃ mənt /

noun

1. Law.

   1. a warning, served on a third party to hold, subject to the court's direction, money or property belonging to a debtor who is being sued by a creditor.

   2. a summons to a third party to appear in litigation pending between a creditor and debtor.

2. adornment or decoration.

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garnishment British  

/ ˈɡɑːnɪʃmənt /

noun

1. the act of garnishing

2. decoration or embellishment; garnish

3. law

   1. a notice or warning

   2. obsolete  a summons to court proceedings already in progress

   3. a notice warning a person holding money or property belonging to a debtor whose debt has been attached to hold such property until directed by the court to apply it

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Etymology

Origin of garnishment

First recorded in 1540–50; garnish + -ment

Example Sentences

It is known as a notice of administrative wage garnishment.

From Los Angeles Times

Through an IRS levy, you could face wage garnishment, have funds taken from your bank account or have your property seized.

From Salon

If the employer is working somewhere else, the agency can direct that their wages be withheld in order to pay the funds owed to L&I, a process called wage garnishment.

From Seattle Times

If you continue to ignore notices, the IRS may resort to severe measures, including tax liens, wage garnishment, asset seizure and passport restrictions.

From Seattle Times

They are exempt from garnishment and levy in most cases.

From Encyclopedia.com