Meaning & use
died intestate
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraselegallawformal
Died without having made a valid will.
Grammar: Used after a person's name or as a relative clause; it describes the person's legal state at death.
Patterns
- someone died intestate
- a person who died intestate
The businessman died intestate, so his estate was divided according to state law.
If you die intestate, the courts decide how your property is distributed.
She had never written a will and therefore died intestate.
Common combinations
- die intestate
- Many people die intestate because they never get around to making a will.
- estate of someone who died intestate
- The estate of someone who died intestate must go through probate.
- intestate succession
- Intestate succession laws determine who inherits when there is no will.
- declared intestate
- After the hearing, the deceased was declared intestate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- without a will
- A plain-English phrase with the same meaning; it is used in everyday speech, while 'died intestate' is the formal legal term.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: died intestate or intestines? died intestate or testate?
died intestate vs intestines
These are the body organs; 'intestate' relates only to dying without a will.
died intestate vs testate
This means having made a valid will, the exact opposite of 'intestate'.
Practice
Which sentence correctly uses the phrase 'died intestate'?
Choose one answer.
'Died intestate' means someone died without a valid will, so option B fits. Option An is wrong because 'intestate' does not describe the cause or manner of death. Options C and D treat it as a verb that takes an object, but it is a fixed phrase describing a legal state.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “died intestate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.