# estate

/ɪˈsteɪt/ (US) · /ɪstˈeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/estate
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. land and property

noun · CEFR B1

a large area of land in the country, usually with one big house, owned by one person or family.

For teachers: an extensive area of landed property, typically under single ownership and including a substantial residence.

- The family has owned a large country estate in Scotland for generations.
- The sprawling estate includes several hundred acres of ancient woodland and a private lake that the family maintains for conservation purposes.

### 2. inheritance and assets

noun · CEFR B2

everything a person owns, including money and property, especially when they die.

For teachers: the collective assets, property, and liabilities of a person, particularly those left at death to be distributed by a will.

- After her father died, she spent months managing his estate and paying his debts.
- The executors were tasked with liquidating the deceased's estate to ensure all outstanding creditors were satisfied before the remaining capital was distributed.

### 3. housing development

noun · CEFR B1 · British English

an area where many similar houses or apartments were built at the same time.

For teachers: a planned area of residential housing or industrial buildings.

- They moved to a new housing estate on the edge of the city.
- The local council approved the construction of a new industrial estate to encourage tech startups to relocate to the region.

### 4. station wagon car

noun · CEFR B2 · British English

a car with a long body and a large door at the back for carrying luggage.

For teachers: a car body style with a long roof and a rear door, designed to provide a large interior cargo area.

- We bought an estate car because we needed more room for the dogs.
- The manufacturer released a hybrid version of their popular estate, targeting families who require significant boot space without sacrificing fuel efficiency.

### 5. IT infrastructure

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

all the computers, software, and technology that a company owns and uses.

For teachers: the collective information technology resources, including hardware, software, and network components, managed by an organisation.

- The company is trying to move its entire digital estate to the cloud.
- Auditing the global digital estate revealed several legacy systems that were no longer compliant with modern security protocols.

### 6. social class

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal · Archaic

one of the social groups that people used to be divided into, like the nobles or the church.

For teachers: a major social class or order, historically possessing distinct political rights within a country.

- In the past, the clergy was known as the First Estate.
- The tension between the different estates of the realm eventually led to a total restructuring of the nation's political system.

### 7. second-hand

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

a polite way to say that something, like jewelry, was owned by someone else before.

For teachers: a euphemistic term for previously owned or second-hand goods, frequently applied to high-value items.

- She bought a beautiful estate diamond ring at the auction.
- The boutique specialises in estate jewellery, offering rare pieces from the Victorian era that have been meticulously restored.

## Examples

- He inherited a large family estate in the countryside.
- The lawyers spent several months calculating the total value of the deceased man's estate before distributing it to his heirs.
- The sprawling country estate includes several thousand acres of forest, a private lake, and a historic manor house that has been in the family for generations.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.