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.
Millions of pounds goes unclaimed in the benefits system.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
The raid was the latest in a string of unclaimed attacks on the UAE since an April 8 ceasefire took effect in the war.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Joe Zeni first offered a basketball hoop on Buy Nothing in 2023, where it remains unclaimed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
There remains one large piece of unclaimed territory on earth.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Many a winning lottery ticket holder, upon receiving the news, has spent the entire afternoon methodically sharpening pencils; for all we know some are sharpening still, their winnings yet unclaimed.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
