Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The act or process of distraining; distress.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In law, the act of distraining; a distress.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Law) The act or proceeding of seizing personal property by distress.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun law The legal right of a
landlord to seize theproperty of atenant in the event ofnonpayment ofrent
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of a debt or satisfaction of a claim
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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To weigh the alternatives in this balance alone is the work of a moment: and there are all the more moments left for the life of princely expenditure, of inexhaustible revenue, without tax or toil, overdraft, usury or distraint, which is lived in the secret kingdom behind the eyelids.
Try Anything Twice 1938
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Advocates of this stance often quote a 1960 Supreme Court opinion, which states that "our system of taxation is based upon voluntary assessment and payment, not upon distraint."
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Advocates of this stance often quote a 1960 Supreme Court opinion, which states that "our system of taxation is based upon voluntary assessment and payment, not upon distraint."
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Hedges, fences, all are down, beasts exposed to wind and weather, fields and meadows lying fallow, every month a new distraint —
Peer Gynt 2008
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Hedges, fences, all are down, beasts exposed to wind and weather, fields and meadows lying fallow, every month a new distraint —
Peer Gynt 2008
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Now that I think about it, direct property distraint was a recognized means of compelling welchers to fulfill their obligations in the quasi-anarchic Brehon laws of Celtic Ireland, even if it was a case of tenants or debtors going after landlords or creditors.
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So modest was Mr Merdle withal, in the midst of these splendid achievements, that he looked far more like a man in possession of his house under a distraint, than a commercial Colossus bestriding his own hearthrug, while the little ships were sailing into dinner.
Little Dorrit 2007
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United States that "our system of taxation is based upon voluntary assessment and payment, not upon distraint."
August 2006 2006
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United States that "our system of taxation is based upon voluntary assessment and payment, not upon distraint."
More on Murphy 2006
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When Charles, distracted by the news of the distraint, returned home, Emma had just gone out.
Madame Bovary 2003
jmjarmstrong commented on the word distraint
JM calls upon all and sundry to act with distraint and he'll go halves.
September 22, 2010