inherit

play

verb in·her·it \ in-ˈher-ət , -ˈhe-rət \

Definition of inherit

transitive verb

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)

2 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

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

—

inheritor

play \in-ˈher-ə-tər, -ˈhe-rə-\ noun

—

inheritress

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

See inherit defined for English-language learners

See inherit defined for kids

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 of inherit from the Web

India and Pakistan had inherited the same laws and institutions, and both were poor, multilingual and multi-ethnic.

— The Economist, "Post-partum depressionSeventy years of Indo-Pakistani enmity," 22 July 2017
Sir Vince Cable inherits a diminished party with only 12 of 650 lawmakers in the Commons.

— alex morales, Bloomberg.com, "Politician Who Predicted Financial Crash Says Brexit Can Be Stopped," 19 July 2017
Inherited runners-scored: Alexander 1-0, Moylan 2-0.

— kansascity, "Kansas City Royals box score for July 19," 19 July 2017
Hurney inherits a roster sitting $17 million below the cap, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to start throwing money around.

— joseph person, charlotteobserver, "At this dysfunctional time in Panthers history, Marty Hurney 2.0 right man for GM job," 19 July 2017
McCaskey, often called the First Lady of the NFL, inherited the team from her father, George Halas, renowned coach and one of the founders of the American Football Association, the forerunner of the NFL.

— terrin waack, chicagotribune.com, "Virginia McCaskey makes Adweek's list of most powerful women in sports," 30 June 2017
According to National Intitutes of Health, although the disorder is inherited, not everyone who has the mutation will present with UHS, which may explain why both Jamie and her older daughter, Raegan, 5, have thick, smooth, darker hair.

— marci robin, Good Housekeeping, "Little Girl's Rare Disorder Makes Her Hair Completely Uncontrollable," 29 June 2017
May that child inherit Caleb’s computer skills and Hanna’s sense of humor (but not Ashley Marin’s unacknowledged alcoholism).

— eliza thompson, Cosmopolitan, "Everything That Happened on the Pretty Little Liars Series Finale," 28 June 2017
Roš reunited with the sommelier in the tiny town of Kobarid (population: 1,090) just as Kramar inherited Hiša Franko, his family’s inn and restaurant.

— kate springer, Vogue, "A Slovenia Dining Guide From the World’s Best Female Chef," 23 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of inherit

Middle English enheriten to give right of inheritance to, from Anglo-French enheriter, from Late Latin inhereditare, from Latin in- + hereditas inheritance — more at heredity

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

INHERIT Defined for English Language Learners

inherit

play

verb

Definition of inherit for English Language Learners

: 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

INHERIT Defined for Kids

inherit

play

verb in·her·it \ in-ˈher-ət \

Definition of inherit for Students

inherited; inheriting

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

2 :to get by heredity

I inherited red hair.

Medical Dictionary

inherit

play

transitive verb in·her·it \ in-ˈher-ət \

medical Definition of inherit

:to receive from a parent or ancestor by genetic transmission

Law Dictionary

inherit

play

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

—