inheritance tax

noun

1

: a tax on a decedent's net estate that is levied after the estate is transmitted to the inheritors

2

: death tax

especially : estate tax

Examples of inheritance tax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Charles reveals tax bill By law, the British king is not obliged to pay income, capital gains or inheritance tax, but Charles, like his mother did after 1993, has voluntarily done so without disclosing the amounts. — CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Now Starmer is going due to unpopularity, largely self-inflicted, after policy errors including scrapping the pensioners’ winter fuel allowance, hitting small farmers with inheritance tax increases and appointing a close friend of the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein as ambassador to Washington. — Ian King, CNBC, 24 June 2026

In it, the Treasury said that Charles had agreed to pay income tax, capital gains taxes for sales of his private holdings and investments, and inheritance tax. — Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 24 June 2026

The government dropped a plan to end winter home heating subsidies for millions of retirees, reversed itself on tough plans to cut welfare spending and eased a new agricultural inheritance tax after angry farmers protested and clogged the streets of London with tractors. — ABC News, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for inheritance tax

• almanacs
• carrybacks
• haversacks
• lumberjacks
• maniacs
• microcracks
• minimax
• paperbacks
• parallax
• quarterbacks
• sticklebacks
• telefax

Legal Definition

inheritance tax

noun

: an excise tax that is levied upon the privilege of receiving property as heir or next of kin under the law of intestacy and that is measured by the value of the property received compare estate tax