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

Branden Kline stranded Means’ two inherited runners with a groundout. — Nathan Ruiz, baltimoresun.com, "Tigers unsettle Orioles’ John Means, split four-game series with 5-2 victory," 17 Sep. 2019 Get our daily newsletter Mr Macri inherited a troublesome budget deficit. — The Economist, "Were Mauricio Macri’s mainstream policies doomed from the start?," 14 Sep. 2019 The cabooses are privately owned (often inherited) and will sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. — Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, "Alabama football fans: Things to do in Columbia if you’re catching the South Carolina game," 13 Sep. 2019 Epstein died in 1998, and Safro inherited the building. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "Tender Buttons, a One-of-a-Kind New York Institution, Closes Shop," 10 Sep. 2019 Outgoing, beautiful, lively and active, with a flair for the dramatic inherited from her father, Ina loved her family and friends, large gatherings, music and dancing. — courant.com, "Ina Giniso," 8 Sep. 2019 About the place: Danielle and Tony Milam bought the restaurant, which has been around for about 10 years, in May. The Milams inherited the staff, Danielle said. — Marc Bona, cleveland.com, "Sunny Street Cafe: Northeast Ohio’s best weekend brunches, breakfasts," 7 Sep. 2019 The Pences may not have needed the financial help if the couple, years before, hadn’t lost nearly $1 million Pence had inherited from his father. — Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, "'What are we going to do Mike?': Trump's victory posed problems for Pence and his wife, new book says," 7 Sep. 2019 Some of the Denisovan jaw’s features are very similar to those of Neanderthals, which suggests that both species inherited those features from their last common ancestor. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Denisovan fossil finger points to the timing of Neanderthal evolution," 4 Sep. 2019

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

13 Oct 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