estate tax
noun
: a tax in the form of a percentage of the taxable estate that is imposed on a property owner's right to transfer the property to others after their death compare inheritance tax sense 1
Examples of estate tax in a Sentence
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Gift taxes aren’t owed until the amounts in excess of the annual exclusion total more than the giver’s lifetime gift and estate tax exemption amount (which in 2026 is $15 million).
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Liz Weston, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
By eschewing salaries, lobbying Congress to gut the estate tax, and contriving elaborate writeoffs and work-arounds, the very rich have placed much of their wealth beyond the reach of the state.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The estate tax has many provisions to protect family farms and businesses.
—Ray Madoff, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
Some states also have a state-level estate tax.
—Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
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“Estate tax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estate%20tax. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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