inherit
receive a right as an heir: inherit the farm; receive a genetic character: inherit blue eyes
Not to be confused with:
inherent – innate; existing as a permanent, inseparable element or quality: an inherent love for animals
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
in·her·it
(ĭn-hĕr′ĭt)
v. in·her·it·ed, in·her·it·ing, in·her·its
v.tr.
1. Law
a. To take (property) by law of descent from an intestate owner.
b. To receive (property) by will; receive by bequest or devise.
2. To receive or take over from a predecessor: The new administration inherited the economic problems of the last four years.
3. Biology To receive (a characteristic) from a parent or ancestor by genetic transmission.
4. To gain (something) as one’s right or portion: «A certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?» (King James Bible).
v.intr.
To hold or take possession of an inheritance.
[Middle English enheriten, from Old French enheriter, to make heir to, from Late Latin inhērēditāre, to inherit : Latin in-, in; see in-2 + Late Latin hērēditāre, to inherit (from Latin hērēs, hērēd-, heir; see ghē- in Indo-European roots).]
in·her′i·tor n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
inherit
(ɪnˈhɛrɪt)
vb, -its, -iting or -ited
1. (Law) to receive (property, a right, title, etc) by succession or under a will
2. (Law) (intr) to succeed as heir
3. (Genetics) (tr) to possess (a characteristic) through genetic transmission
4. (tr) to receive (a position, attitude, property, etc) from a predecessor
[C14: from Old French enheriter, from Late Latin inhērēditāre to appoint an heir, from Latin hērēs heir]
inˈherited adj
inˈheritor n
inˈheritress, inˈheritrix fem n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
in•her•it
(ɪnˈhɛr ɪt)
v.t.
1. to take or receive (property, a right, a title, etc.) by succession or will, as an heir.
2. to receive as if by succession from predecessors.
3. to receive (a genetic character) by the transmission of hereditary factors.
4. to succeed (a person) as heir.
5. to receive as one’s portion; come into possession of: to inherit a sister’s old clothes.
v.i.
6. to have succession as heir.
[1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French < Late Latin inhērēditāre to make heir]
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
inherit
Past participle: inherited
Gerund: inheriting
| Imperative |
|---|
| inherit |
| inherit |
| Present |
|---|
| I inherit |
| you inherit |
| he/she/it inherits |
| we inherit |
| you inherit |
| they inherit |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I inherited |
| you inherited |
| he/she/it inherited |
| we inherited |
| you inherited |
| they inherited |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am inheriting |
| you are inheriting |
| he/she/it is inheriting |
| we are inheriting |
| you are inheriting |
| they are inheriting |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have inherited |
| you have inherited |
| he/she/it has inherited |
| we have inherited |
| you have inherited |
| they have inherited |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was inheriting |
| you were inheriting |
| he/she/it was inheriting |
| we were inheriting |
| you were inheriting |
| they were inheriting |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had inherited |
| you had inherited |
| he/she/it had inherited |
| we had inherited |
| you had inherited |
| they had inherited |
| Future |
|---|
| I will inherit |
| you will inherit |
| he/she/it will inherit |
| we will inherit |
| you will inherit |
| they will inherit |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have inherited |
| you will have inherited |
| he/she/it will have inherited |
| we will have inherited |
| you will have inherited |
| they will have inherited |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be inheriting |
| you will be inheriting |
| he/she/it will be inheriting |
| we will be inheriting |
| you will be inheriting |
| they will be inheriting |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been inheriting |
| you have been inheriting |
| he/she/it has been inheriting |
| we have been inheriting |
| you have been inheriting |
| they have been inheriting |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been inheriting |
| you will have been inheriting |
| he/she/it will have been inheriting |
| we will have been inheriting |
| you will have been inheriting |
| they will have been inheriting |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been inheriting |
| you had been inheriting |
| he/she/it had been inheriting |
| we had been inheriting |
| you had been inheriting |
| they had been inheriting |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would inherit |
| you would inherit |
| he/she/it would inherit |
| we would inherit |
| you would inherit |
| they would inherit |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have inherited |
| you would have inherited |
| he/she/it would have inherited |
| we would have inherited |
| you would have inherited |
| they would have inherited |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
Translations
يَرِثُيَرِثُ عادةً أو صِفَةًورث
zděditdědit
arve
periä
naslijediti
megörökölörököl
erfa
相続する
물려받다
paveldėjimaspaveldėti
mantotpārmantot
podedovati
ärva
รับมรดก
kalıtım yoluyla geçmekmiras almakmiras olarak almak
thừa kế
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
inherit
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
inherit
(inˈherit) verb
1. to receive (property etc belonging to someone who has died). He inherited the house from his father; She inherited four thousand dollars from her father.
2. to have (qualities) the same as one’s parents etc. She inherits her quick temper from her mother.
inˈheritance noun
1. money etc inherited. He spent most of his inheritance on drink.
2. the act of inheriting. The property came to him by inheritance.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
inherit
→ يَرِثُ zdědit arve erben κληρονομώ heredar periä hériter naslijediti ereditare 相続する 물려받다 erven arve odziedziczyć herdar наследовать ärva รับมรดก miras almak thừa kế 继承
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023
in•her•it /ɪnˈhɛrɪt/USA pronunciation
v.
- to take or receive (property, etc.) that is left to one after the death of someone or by someone’s will, as an heir: [~ + object]hopes to inherit her father’s business.[no object]On his death, will she inherit?
- to receive from a past situation or from someone who has gone before:[~ + object]inherited many of the problems of the previous administration.
- to receive (a genetic trait, etc.) from a parent or ancestor:[~ + object]inherited her beauty from her grandmother.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023
in•her•it
(in her′it),USA pronunciation v.t.
- to take or receive (property, a right, a title, etc.) by succession or will, as an heir:to inherit the family business.
- to receive as if by succession from predecessors:the problems the new government inherited from its predecessors.
- to receive (a genetic character) by the transmission of hereditary factors.
- to succeed (a person) as heir.
- to receive as one’s portion;
come into possession of:to inherit his brother’s old clothes.
v.i.
- to take or receive property or the like by virtue of being heir to it.
- to receive qualities, powers, duties, etc., as by inheritance (fol. by from).
- to have succession as heir.
- Late Latin inhērēditāre to make heir. See in—3, hereditary
- Middle French enheriter
- Middle English en(h)erit(i)en 1275–1325
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
inherit /ɪnˈhɛrɪt/ vb ( -its, -iting, -ited)
- to receive (property, a right, title, etc) by succession or under a will
- (intransitive) to succeed as heir
- (transitive) to possess (a characteristic) through genetic transmission
- (transitive) to receive (a position, attitude, property, etc) from a predecessor
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French enheriter, from Late Latin inhērēditāre to appoint an heir, from Latin hērēs heir
inˈherited adj inˈheritor n inˈheritress, inˈheritrix fem n
‘inherit‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
- Top Definitions
- Quiz
- Related Content
- Examples
- British
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
[ in-her-it ]
/ ɪnˈhɛr ɪt /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
verb (used with object)
to take or receive (property, a right, a title, etc.) by succession or will, as an heir: to inherit the family business.
to receive as if by succession from predecessors: the problems the new government inherited from the previous administration.
to receive (a genetic character or trait) by the transmission of hereditary factors.
to succeed (a person) as heir.
to receive as one’s portion; come into possession of: to inherit his brother’s old clothes.
verb (used without object)
to take or receive property or the like by virtue of being heir to it.
to receive qualities, powers, duties, etc., as by inheritance (followed by from).
to have succession as heir.
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Origin of inherit
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English en(h)erit(i)en, from Middle French enheriter, from Late Latin inhērēditāre “to make heir”; see in-3, hereditary
OTHER WORDS FROM inherit
pre·in·her·it, verb (used with object)re·in·her·it, verb
Words nearby inherit
inhere, inherence, inherency, inherent, inherently, inherit, inheritable, inheritance, inheritance tax, inherited, inheritor
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to inherit
How to use inherit in a sentence
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And, all ad groups and keywords will inherit bidding from their parent campaign.
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As he pointed out in his recent State of the City address, the budget he inherited is in trouble.
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The psychologists who designed these tests in the early 20th century believed, incorrectly, that you inherited “intelligence” from your family and nothing you might do would change it.
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Fortunately, Bush inherited his father’s sense of humor along with his two left feet.
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Political corruption, economic inequality and violence are organic features of American society, and they reflect the same legacies of racism that international development inherited from the Enlightenment.
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Simon did not expect to inherit, and in a way he never really did.
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This demographic reality means that whoever wins the suburban vote in 2016 and beyond will inherit the political future.
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Having said that, leadership is not a birth right that you inherit and it just keeps going.
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It makes sense only in cultural contexts in which women breed and men inherit.
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The anti-evolutionists were as humiliated in this performance as they were in Inherit the Wind.
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And as a flood hath watered the earth; so shall his wrath inherit the nations, that have not sought after him.
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They inherit from father to children, or by blood, and do not recognize one as greater than the other.
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He will say, «Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.»
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I have made pilgrimages and given gifts,—but there is no one to inherit my name and the traditions of my race.
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He knew he was next-of-kin to old Charles Faversham, and would naturally think he would inherit his wealth.
British Dictionary definitions for inherit
verb -its, -iting or -ited
to receive (property, a right, title, etc) by succession or under a will
(intr) to succeed as heir
(tr) to possess (a characteristic) through genetic transmission
(tr) to receive (a position, attitude, property, etc) from a predecessor
Derived forms of inherit
inherited, adjectiveinheritor, nouninheritress or inheritrix, fem n
Word Origin for inherit
C14: from Old French enheriter, from Late Latin inhērēditāre to appoint an heir, from Latin hērēs heir
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other forms: inherited; inherits; inheriting
When your grandmother dies, you might inherit her tea set. Regardless of her death, you might inherit her sense of humor or rather large nose. To inherit is to receive from a predecessor.
When you are talking about property, inherit is always used to describe something you get after someone else has died. However, there doesn’t have to be a death involved to use the word inherit. When you start a new job, you might inherit less than pleasant tasks from the person who had the job before you. You might also quickly inherit their desire to find a new place to work.
Definitions of inherit
-
verb
receive from a predecessor
“The new chairman
inherited many problems from the previous chair” -
verb
obtain from someone after their death
“I
inherited a castle from my French grandparents” -
verb
receive by genetic transmission
“I
inherited my good eyesight from my mother”
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘inherit’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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transitive verb
1
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
2
: to receive from a parent or ancestor by genetic transmission
inherit a defective enzyme
3
: to have in turn or receive as if from an ancestor
inherited the problem from his predecessor
4
: 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)
Example Sentences
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.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Initially, that centers around whether and to what extent the potential (or inevitability) to inherit is a mere expectancy or more of a guarantee.
—Kristin Mckenna, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
After all, the show is premised on the suspense of a single dilemma: an old patriarch, the Murdochian media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox), must decide which of his children is most suitable to inherit his empire.
—Brandon Taylor, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2023
The actual, non-bronze Prince Charming is missing in action, which means that his brother, Sebastian (Jordan Dobson) stands to inherit the throne.
—Vulture, 25 Mar. 2023
People of East Asian heritage are much more likely to inherit a genetic mutation not commonly seen in other ethnic groups that compromises the ability to metabolize alcohol.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2023
Collette plays her mother, who forbade Ruby from ever stepping foot in the water, and Fonda is her grandmother, from whom Ruby is destined to inherit the throne of the kraken queens.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Mar. 2023
Climate series:The latest from Joan Meiners at azcentral, a column on climate change that publishes weekly Climate change is stressful for those who stand to inherit the beleaguered Earth.
—The Arizona Republic, 15 Mar. 2023
She is survived by mother Priscilla, 77, and daughters Riley Keough, Harper and Finley, with the latter three set to inherit her estate.
—Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2023
TikTok belongs to Gen Z, the 11 to 26-year-olds now poised to inherit the Earth, or whatever is left of it once we millennials are sated (or rendered irrelevant).
—Holly Thomas, CNN, 2 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘inherit.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
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
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4
Time Traveler
The first known use of inherit was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near inherit
Cite this Entry
“Inherit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inherit. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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Last Updated:
29 Mar 2023
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