bequeath

verb

be·queath | \ bi-ˈkwēth

, -ˈkwēt͟h, bē-

bequeathed; bequeathing; bequeaths

Definition of bequeath

1 : to give or leave by will (see will entry 2 sense 1) —used especially of personal property a ring bequeathed to her by her grandmother

2 : to hand down : transmit lessons bequeathed to future generations

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Examples of bequeath in a Sentence

He bequeathed his paintings to the museum. Lessons of the past are bequeathed to future generations.

Recent Examples on the Web

The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. — Time, "'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?': The History of Frederick Douglass' Searing Independence Day Oration," 3 July 2019 The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. — Dallas News, "Frederick Douglass speech raises question: Should African-Americans celebrate the Fourth of July?," 2 July 2019 He and his successors bequeathed to the world a concept of power that involved more than military strength. — Kristin Baird Rattini, National Geographic, "Meet the world’s first emperor," 18 June 2019 But such discoveries generally don’t tell the searcher much; most of us have little idea of how our genes are bequeathed to us at all. — Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books, "Tim Flannery," 7 Mar. 2019 The knuckle-size pear-cut diamond was bequeathed to her husband, the Texas energy scion Michael Herd, by his grandmother on the condition his bride never take it off. — Chloe Malle, Vogue, "Inside Dating-App Bumble’s Bid For Global Domination," 18 Apr. 2019 The net-neutrality suit is just one of dozens Mr. Brown will bequeath to his successor next year, likely to be Democratic Lt. — Alejandro Lazo, WSJ, "Jerry Brown Signs Slew of Laws and Fires Parting Shots," 1 Oct. 2018 This empress in miniature has already bequeathed her moniker to the seven-carat Star of Josephine, and just earlier this week to the $28 million pink, now known as Sweet Josephine. — Stellene Volandes, Town & Country, "Hong Kong Billionaire Pays $48.5 Million for Blue Diamond," 12 Nov. 2015 Both of these villas were seen by their owners as celebrations of French aesthetic grandeur, and both were ultimately bequeathed to the French state: Villa Kerylos in 1928, Villa Ile-de-France in 1934. — James Mcauley, Town & Country, "The Tragic, Fascinating History of Santo Sospir," 13 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bequeath.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.