inheritance

noun

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in·her·i·tance | \ in-ˈher-ə-tən(t)s

, -ˈhe-rə- \

Definition of inheritance

1 : something that is or may be inherited

2a : the act of inheriting property

b : the reception of genetic qualities by transmission from parent to offspring

c : the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations

3a : tradition

b : a valuable possession that is a common heritage from nature

4 obsolete : possession

Synonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing inheritance Learn More About inheritance

Examples of inheritance in a Sentence

She began her own business with the inheritance she got from her grandfather. He left sizable inheritances to his children. The buildings are part of the city's architectural inheritance. the inheritance of an estate the inheritance of a genetic trait

Recent Examples on the Web The inheritance remains tied up in probate court in Connecticut, where his mother’s three sisters are seeking to bar Carman from receiving any money from his grandfather’s estate. — Fox News, 26 May 2022 The inheritance remains tied up in probate court in Connecticut, where his mother’s three sisters are seeking to bar Carman from receiving any money from his grandfather’s estate. — Dave Collins And Denise Lavoie, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2022 Many state lines are the inheritance of seventeenth-century royal decrees, eighteenth-century surveys, or nineteenth-century railroads. — Kent Russell, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022 The boys’ father tasked them with finding a scarf; whoever brought back the most beautiful one would receive their father’s inheritance. — Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 30 June 2022 This inheritance gives him a new plan to turn his dreams into reality. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 25 June 2022 The work represents the arrival and flourishing of Asian cultural inheritance into New Spain along trade routes from Manila, Philippines, to Acapulco on the Pacific coast. — Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2022 The mission: To build an inheritance solution for cryptocurrency. — Kristin Stoller, Forbes, 2 June 2022 That inheritance will continue to challenge our notion of where human territory ends and the rest of nature begins. — Marion Renault, The Atlantic, 19 May 2022 See More

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

Learn More About inheritance

Dictionary Entries Near inheritance

inheritage

inheritance

inheritance tax

Statistics for inheritance

Last Updated

25 Jul 2022

Cite this Entry

“Inheritance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inheritance. Accessed 9 Aug. 2022.

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More Definitions for inheritance

inheritance

noun

in·her·i·tance | \ in-ˈher-ə-təns

Kids Definition of inheritance

1 : the act of getting by legal right from a person at his or her death or through heredity

2 : something gotten by legal right from a person at his or her death

inheritance

noun

in·her·i·tance | \ in-ˈher-ət-ən(t)s

Medical Definition of inheritance

1 : the reception of genetic qualities by transmission from parent to offspring

2 : all of the genetic characters or qualities transmitted from parent to offspring — compare genotype sense 2, phenotype

inheritance

noun

in·her·i·tance | \ in-ˈher-ə-təns

Legal Definition of inheritance

1 : the act of inheriting: as

a : the acquisition of real or personal property under the laws of intestacy or sometimes by will

b : the succession upon the death of an owner either by will or by operation of law to all the estate, rights, and liabilities of the decedent

2a : something that is or may be inherited

b : something to which one is entitled as heir increasing the son's potential inheritance under [the] will — Lesnick v. Lesnick, 577 So. 2d 856 (1991)