unclaimed
Britishadjective
Explanation
Unclaimed things haven't been collected or demanded, like an unclaimed sweatshirt in the lost-and-found bin at school. When you claim something, you make a formal request for it or assert that you have a right to it, the way you claim your seat at the theater or claim your bag from the baggage carousel at the airport. Bags that left at the airport or seats left empty? Those are unclaimed.
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.
There remains one large piece of unclaimed territory on earth.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
An online tool has identified more than £84,800 in unclaimed benefits since it went live in January, a local authority has said.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
All proceeds from the auction of unclaimed items support bus and rail operations.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
If the funds are not claimed, the money will be classified as unclaimed property.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 7, 2026
Or did they just decide to leave the gifts there—half-paid and forever unclaimed?
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Definitions 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.
