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.
But I had inherited my father’s depressed DNA, and like him, I couldn’t recover.
From Salon
If your sister purchases the house, she and your brother’s other heirs would also lose their step-up in basis, a tax break that lets people inherit assets without paying hefty capital-gains tax.
From MarketWatch
No explanation was given, when asked for the documentary series, as to why the Prince of Wales has chosen not to follow his father's example of publishing his tax returns since inheriting the role.
From BBC
This approach revealed how an early viral infection can magnify the impact of inherited allergy risk.
From Science Daily
The study also highlighted several adaptations that dogs appear to have inherited from wolves.
From Science Daily
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.
