Definition of "estoppel" [es•top•pel]

• Law A bar preventing one from making an allegation or a denial that contradicts what one has previously stated as the truth. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Former Tory Cabinet Minister Douglas Hogg says he and other MPs accused of abusing their allowances are entitled to keep their expenses based on the Norman law of 'estoppel' - derived from the French word for 'bung'."
• "This type of estoppel is most commonly called collateral estoppel."
• "Equitable estoppel is appropriate where the plaintiff is prevented from filing an action within the applicable statute of limitations due to his or her reasonable reliance on deception, fraud or misrepresentations by the defendant."