1. A legal principle that prevents a person from asserting a claim or right that contradicts a previous statement or action they have made, especially when another party has relied on that statement or action.
Usage: Legal/formal term; Common in contract law and property law

Examples

• The court applied estoppel to prevent the landlord from denying the tenant's right to occupy the property after years of accepting rent payments.
• By signing the contract and then performing under it, the company created an estoppel against later claiming the agreement was invalid.
• Estoppel protects parties who have reasonably relied on another's words or conduct to their detriment.
• The doctrine of estoppel ensures that a person cannot blow hot and cold—making contradictory claims in legal proceedings.
• When the seller represented the house as defect-free and the buyer made repairs based on that statement, estoppel prevented the seller from later denying liability.