escheates·cheat /ɪsˈtʃiːt/ noun [uncountableU] LAW a legal process in which someone’s money and property are given to the state after they die if they do not have a will, or if there is nobody else with a legal right to receive their money or propertyBy the old doctrine of escheat, states and municipalities may capture unclaimed and dormant bank deposits.
—escheatment noun [uncountableU]