inherit

verb

in·her·it | \ in-ˈher-ət

, -ˈhe-rət\

inherited; inheriting; inherits

Definition of inherit

1 : 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)

2a : 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

3 : to receive from a parent or ancestor by genetic transmission inherit a defective enzyme

4 : to have in turn or receive as if from an ancestor inherited the problem from his predecessor

intransitive verb

: to take or hold a possession or rights by inheritance

Other Words from inherit More Example Sentences Learn More about inherit

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Other Words from inherit

inheritor \ in-ˈher-ə-tər

, -ˈhe-rə- \ noun

inheritress \ in-ˈher-ə-trəs

, -ˈhe-rə- \ or inheritrix \ in-ˈher-ə-(ˌ)triks

, -ˈhe-rə- \ noun

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

Law enforcement also tested 20 or so genetic markers from autosomes—nonsex chromosomes, which are inherited from both parents. — Allysia Finley, WSJ, "The Making of a DNA Detective," 15 Feb. 2019 The house, all white walls and white upholstery, was furnished with family heirlooms, including French antiques inherited from her mother and grandmother. — Sara Ruffin Costello, ELLE Decor, "A New Orleans Manse is Given New Life with a Fashionable Pizzazz," 26 Oct. 2018 Rather than abandoning the project of nationalism inherited from the shah, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has extended it, expressing nationalist ideas through religious precepts and values. — Shervin Malekzadeh, Washington Post, "What Trump doesn’t get about ideology in Iran. It’s about nationalism, not theocracy.," 25 June 2018 The condition develops when a pregnant woman has rhesus-negative blood (RhD negative) and the baby in her womb has rhesus-positive blood (RhD positive), inherited from its father. — Doug Criss, CNN, "He donated blood every week for 60 years and saved the lives of 2.4 million babies," 11 May 2018 As People points out, Prince Louis is also wearing clothing inherited from his older sibling. — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, "The Royal Family Knows the Value and Charm of a Good Hand-Me-Down," 7 May 2018 But Díaz-Canel, who officially took office on Thursday, faces daunting challenges and unfinished business inherited from retiring Cuban leader Raúl Castro, 86. — Mimi Whitefield And Nora GÁmez Torres, miamiherald, "Cuba's new president is the first non-Castro in 42 years. How much power will he have? | Miami Herald," 19 Apr. 2018 Pred, whose mother is from Sweden and father from New York, inherited her political activism and sense of justice from her parents. — Anna Volpicelli, San Francisco Chronicle, "Michele Pred’s art pieces encourage voting with your pocketbook," 12 Apr. 2018 The son of retiring St. Joseph’s athletic director Don DiJulia has a fan base of his own, built from an ability, inherited from his father, of always being there. — Mike Jensen, Philly.com, "Chris DiJulia, St. Joseph's hall of famer: Now it's official," 12 Apr. 2018

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

History and Etymology for inherit

Middle English enheriten "to give (a person) right of inheritance, make (a person) heir, come into possession of as an heir," borrowed from Anglo-French enheriter, going back to Late Latin inhērēditāre "to appoint as heir," from Latin in- in- entry 2 + Late Latin hērēditāre "to leave as an inheritance, inherit, make an heir" — more at heritage

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Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for inherit

The first known use of inherit was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for inherit

inherit

verb

English Language Learners Definition of inherit

: to receive (money, property, etc.) from someone when that person dies

biology : to have (a characteristic, disease, etc.) because of the genes that you get from your parents when you are born

: to get (a personal quality, interest, etc.) because of the influence or example of your parents or other relatives

See the full definition for inherit in the English Language Learners Dictionary

inherit

verb

in·her·it | \ in-ˈher-ət

inherited; inheriting

Kids Definition of inherit

1 : to get by legal right from a person at his or her death

2 : to get by heredity I inherited red hair.

inherit

transitive verb

in·her·it | \ in-ˈher-ət

Medical Definition of inherit

: to receive from a parent or ancestor by genetic transmission

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inherit

verb

in·her·it | \ in-ˈher-it

Legal Definition of inherit

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to take or hold a possession or rights by inheritance