inherit
verb
in·her·it
in-ˈher-ət 
-ˈhe-rət
inherited; inheriting; inherits
1
a
: to receive from an ancestor as a right or title descendible by law at the ancestor's death
b
: to receive as a devise or legacy
2
: to receive from a parent or ancestor by genetic transmission
inherit a defective enzyme
3
: to have in turn or receive as if from an ancestor
inherited the problem from his predecessor
4
: to come into possession of or receive especially as a right or divine portion
and every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters … for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life—
Matthew 19:29 (Revised Standard Version)
Matthew 19:29 (Revised Standard Version)
: to take or hold a possession or rights by inheritance
Examples of inherit in a Sentence
She inherited the family business from her father.
Baldness is inherited from the mother's side of the family.
She inherited her father's deep blue eyes.
She inherited a love of baseball from her dad.
When my brother left for college, I inherited his old computer.
The company's new president will inherit some complicated legal problems.
When the coach quit, her assistant inherited a last-place team.
Recent Examples on the Web
When Baez inherited the company at 18,he set out to grow the family name.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Teresa Rodriguez Nieves, who inherited the family restaurant in 1985, is the third generation member of the family to own and operate the institution.
—Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 25 Apr. 2024
The actor seems to have his hands full with his son, whom Knoxville has said might have inherited his need for adrenaline.
—Ale Russian, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
Residents plan to work together to prevent more dumping
Johnson, who inherited her childhood home at 1422 W. Burleigh Street when her parents died, juggles managing the property while also working 12-hour days as a psychiatric nurse.
—Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024
So why does the eight-foot setback restriction still exist?
‘An Agreement That Was Made in the Past’
When Pierrepont died in 1838, his children inherited wide swaths of the family’s Brooklyn Heights land.
—Jeremy Lechtzin, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Also stepping into the spotlight is the mysterious Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd, inheriting the part from Ruby Stokes for Season 3), who follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne, to make her debut in front of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel).
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024
Most cases of Parkinson’s aren’t inherited but sporadic, and early studies suggested a genetic basis was improbable.
—Matthew Farrer, Discover Magazine, 13 Apr. 2024
The Razorbacks literally have no returning scholarship players or newcomers for Calipari to inherit after he was officially announced as Arkansas' coach Wednesday.
—Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Teresa Rodriguez Nieves, who inherited the family restaurant in 1985, is the third generation member of the family to own and operate the institution.
—Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 25 Apr. 2024
The actor seems to have his hands full with his son, whom Knoxville has said might have inherited his need for adrenaline.
—Ale Russian, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
Residents plan to work together to prevent more dumping
Johnson, who inherited her childhood home at 1422 W. Burleigh Street when her parents died, juggles managing the property while also working 12-hour days as a psychiatric nurse.
—Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024
So why does the eight-foot setback restriction still exist?
‘An Agreement That Was Made in the Past’
When Pierrepont died in 1838, his children inherited wide swaths of the family’s Brooklyn Heights land.
—Jeremy Lechtzin, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Also stepping into the spotlight is the mysterious Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd, inheriting the part from Ruby Stokes for Season 3), who follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne, to make her debut in front of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel).
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024
Most cases of Parkinson’s aren’t inherited but sporadic, and early studies suggested a genetic basis was improbable.
—Matthew Farrer, Discover Magazine, 13 Apr. 2024
The Razorbacks literally have no returning scholarship players or newcomers for Calipari to inherit after he was officially announced as Arkansas' coach Wednesday.
—Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inherit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near inherit
Cite this Entry
“Inherit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inherit. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inherit
verb
in·her·it
in-ˈher-ət
1
: to receive by legal right from a person at the person's death
2
: to receive by genetic transmission
inherit red hair
3
: to have handed on to one by someone else
inherit a job
inheritable
adjective
-ət-ə-bəl
Medical Definition
inherit
transitive verb
in·her·it
in-ˈher-ət
: to receive from a parent or ancestor by genetic transmission
Legal Definition
inherit
verb
in·her·it
in-ˈher-it
1
: to receive (property) from an estate by operation of the laws of intestacy
broadly
: to receive (property) either by will or through intestate succession
2
: succeed
: to take or hold a possession or rights by inheritance
Etymology
Middle French enheriter to make one an heir, from Late Latin inhereditare, from Latin in- in + hereditas inheritance
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