inherit
Americanverb (used with object)
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inherits,
present (3rd person singular)
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inherited,
past participle, past
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inheriting
present participle
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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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inherits,
present (3rd person singular)
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inherited,
past participle, past
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inheriting
present participle
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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
Derived Forms
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inheritornoun
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inheritressnoun
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reinheritverb
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preinheritverb (used with object)
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inheritedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inheritsimple
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inheritssimple
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have inheritedperfect
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has inheritedperfect
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am inheritingprogressive
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are inheritingprogressive
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is inheritingprogressive
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have been inheritingperfect progressive
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has been inheritingperfect progressive
Past
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inheritedsimple
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had inheritedperfect
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was inheritingprogressive
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were inheritingprogressive
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had been inheritingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see in- 3, hereditary
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing inherit
Word Generation Science - Life Science
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Genetics - Inheritance and Variation of Traits
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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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.
See Examples For:
No one says that you inherit the ability to be kind or that your children will follow in the same steps, because that’s not the case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The building has an occupancy rate of around 70% — leases that the port will inherit and make money from.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
He battled constant issues with his car throughout the weekend but still put himself in the right position to inherit second when Piastri retired.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
"Some of these minerals are finite and future generations may never see them. We do not want them to inherit white elephants," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
“I have to become a Junior Agent in order to inherit Quinton’s second Farewell Briefcase. And there’s a whole petition against me being in the finale.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
He inherits a daunting agenda, including a housing crisis gripping London.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
It is something every generation inherits and has a responsibility to shape.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
It also further stoked an inner fire which Fery says he inherits from his parents and often displays in his matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
She inherits the task of running a country hit by powerful organized crime gangs and chronic political instability, as it burned through eight presidents in the past decade.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The next part of the will would read: "Whichsoever pair made the most money with the ten thousand dollars inherits the whole estate."
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
"There is no point in bemoaning what is going on" one says phlegmatically, "Andy Burnham's inherited this vexed issue that our jails are full, it's in the nature of being PM."
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
An inherited IRA complicates the Roth solution during this period between retirement and required minimum distributions.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
When Infantino was elected president in 2016, he inherited an organization still reeling from the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Harbaugh inherited a historically mediocre program and coached his team to a 29-6 record in three seasons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Margie, who inherited a little more than half of a headright from her father, still receives a quarterly check for her share in the mineral trust.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
While Sally seems worried about her daughters inheriting her powers, the clip also hints that there might be some happier times ahead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
He also argued that he had changed Labour after inheriting a party that was "politically, financially and morally bankrupt".
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
After inheriting a 5,000-acre plantation near Charlottesville, Va., in 1764, Jefferson began designing his house.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The choice is watching grandchildren struggle for 30 years then inheriting money when it matters least, or strategic funding now that may compound into generational wealth.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
Tillie confided to her lawyer that she wanted to prevent Morrison from inheriting her estate and to rescind his guardianship of her children.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
