estoppel

American

[e-stop-uhl] / ɛˈstɒp əl /

noun

Law.

a bar or impediment preventing a party from asserting a fact or a claim inconsistent with a position that party previously took, either by conduct or words, especially where a representation has been relied or acted upon by others.

estoppel British

/ ɪˈstɒpəl /

noun

law a rule of evidence whereby a person is precluded from denying the truth of a statement of facts he has previously asserted See also conclusion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of estoppel

First recorded in 1575–85, estoppel is from the Middle French word estoupail stopper. See estop, -al ²

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.

It’s called “promissory estoppel” and there is typically a three-year statutory limit to bring it to court.

From MarketWatch

Judicial estoppel, the doctrine preventing parties from abandoning positions they successfully argued before, may offer importers some protection.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a result, future litigants can — and likely will, armed with collateral estoppel — argue that the federal government is precluded from denying citizenship on that basis again.

From Salon

That became the basis for their defense, known as entrapment by estoppel, in which a defendant essentially argues that he broke the law based on bad advice from a government official.

From Los Angeles Times

The Colorado Supreme Court’s voluntary stay of its judgment may be a relevant factor in how another state’s courts may decide to apply the doctrine of collateral estoppel.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023