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.
More than £9bn is owed to councils in unpaid council tax as people continue to struggle with their finances - but some help is going unclaimed.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Winners of prizes have 180 days to make a claim, with any unclaimed funds put towards National Lottery-funded projects.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
An unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator on Sunday near the Arab world's first nuclear power plant in Barakah in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire but causing no injuries nor radiation leak.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
A “standardized, time-limited approach to managing unclaimed belongings” is now being implemented, said County General spokeswoman Connie Castro.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
I wondered who she was, poor unclaimed soul, washed up by the wind and tide.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
