estoppel

American  

[e-stop-uhl] / ɛˈstɒp əl /

noun

Law.

1. 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

1. 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

---

Etymology

Origin of estoppel

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

Example Sentences

The deadline to contest a will can be a matter of months in many jurisdictions, but the statute for promissory estoppel varies from two years to six years, depending on where you live.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

But thanks to collateral estoppel, the government may not get hundreds of chances to win.

From Salon • Jun. 30, 2025

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 • Jan. 31, 2024

But the fact that in the interval George Sand had been crunching the soul of Chopin formed an estoppel on the memory of all the soft sentiment that had gone before.

From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 14 Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Musicians by Hubbard, Elbert