garnishee

1 of 2

noun

gar·​nish·​ee ˌgär-nə-ˈshē How to pronounce garnishee (audio)
: a person who is served with a legal process of garnishment

garnishee

2 of 2

verb

garnisheed; garnisheeing

transitive verb

1
: to serve with a garnishment
2
: to take (something, such as a debtor's wages) by legal authority

Examples of garnishee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The county's human resources and labor relations, attention retirement services, is listed as a garnishee. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 6 July 2022
Verb
State law allows the Oregon Department of Revenue to garnishee the teen's bank accounts or paychecks. Fox News, 17 May 2018 Benton's Oregon Public Employees Retirement System benefits can't be garnisheed in this case because Higbee Benton, 54, was killed before the 2013 statue that allows the funds to be seized, Savage said. Everton Bailey Jr., OregonLive.com, 20 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

garnish entry 1 (in sense "to give legal notice concerning the attachment of property to satisfy a third-party debt") + -ee entry 1

Verb

derivative of garnishee entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1627, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of garnishee was in 1627

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Cite this Entry

“Garnishee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garnishee. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.

Legal Definition

garnishee

1 of 2 noun
gar·​nish·​ee ˌgär-nə-ˈshē How to pronounce garnishee (audio)
: a third party holding garnished property or money of a debtor

garnishee

2 of 2 transitive verb
garnisheed; garnisheeing

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