inherit
Americanverb (used with object)
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to take or receive (property, a right, a title, etc.) by succession or will, as an heir.
to inherit the family business.
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to receive as if by succession from predecessors.
the problems the new government inherited from the previous administration.
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to receive (a genetic character or trait) by the transmission of hereditary factors.
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to succeed (a person) as heir.
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to receive as one's portion; come into possession of.
to inherit his brother's old clothes.
verb (used without object)
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to take or receive property or the like by virtue of being heir to it.
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to receive qualities, powers, duties, etc., as by inheritance (followed byfrom ).
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to have succession as heir.
verb
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to receive (property, a right, title, etc) by succession or under a will
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(intr) to succeed as heir
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(tr) to possess (a characteristic) through genetic transmission
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(tr) to receive (a position, attitude, property, etc) from a predecessor
Other Word Forms
- inherited adjective
- inheritor noun
- inheritress noun
- preinherit verb (used with object)
- reinherit verb
Etymology
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”; in- 3, hereditary
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scotland have effectively inherited Bangladesh's itinerary for the World Cup and will initially be based in Bengaluru.
From BBC
Her view is that they inherited substantially from their father and should not also inherit from her.
From MarketWatch
You want to establish quickly a clear and defined alignment between yourself and the different football departments within the organisation that you have just inherited.
From BBC
Colorectal cancers that are not linked to inherited genetic conditions and typically appear after age 50 are known as average-onset or sporadic CRCs.
From Science Daily
The world they bequeathed to us was immeasurably better than the world they'd inherited from their parents.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
