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:
Knowing the gene behind AnWj gives blood specialists something they did not previously have: a direct genetic way to search for people who inherit AnWj-negative blood.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
The Raptors temporarily froze the Leonard trade after the NBA announced Toronto would inherit any penalties assessed to Leonard following its investigation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
They cannot breed within the pack they are born into, so they either wait and may eventually inherit their pack, or set off at the age of two or three in search of a mate.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
When a minor is involved: Minors cannot legally inherit retirement accounts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
“She and others are about to inherit this sanctuary, a vital step toward reaching our ultimate ends. After decades of persistence, nothing can forestall me.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
The Angel Stadium lease that Kroenke inherits requires the team name to “include the name Anaheim therein.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The lateral septum inherits much of its primary input from a brain region called the hippocampus.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
"It inherits the credibility of the map it was born on."
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Zidane now inherits a team that reached the semifinals of the World Cup and lit up the tournament with an attack that included Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and Michael Olise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 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
No matter the situation that Riley inherited, the Trojans should have what it takes, by Year 5, to compete with Oregon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Pointedly, he described it as a deal he had "inherited".
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
His worries included the team he assembled to buy the Orioles and the players he inherited on the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Much more rarely, a person is born without the antigen because of an inherited genetic change.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
The son of a New England farmer and shoemaker was being accused of aristocratic allegiances by an owner of slaves with vast estates, much of both inherited from his wife’s side of the family.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
As nonspouses inheriting an IRA, the options for you and your siblings are more restricted.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
A bereaved man says he has been hit with a "death tax" after inheriting his mother's home.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Burnham took office in July, inheriting a sluggish economy and government debts that are close to 94% of annual economic output.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
John Ternus takes over as Apple's chief executive on Tuesday, inheriting a company that towers over the smartphone market but trails its rivals in artificial intelligence.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
It’s one of the few pieces of clothing that I picked for myself instead of inheriting from Celia.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
