bequest
Americannoun
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bequests
plural
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a disposition in a will.
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a legacy.
A small bequest allowed her to live independently.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bequest
1250–1300; Middle English biqueste, biquyste, equivalent to bi- be- + quiste will, bequest, Old English -cwis ( se ) (with excrescent t, as in behest ), noun derivative of cwethan to say; on the model of bequethen bequeath
Explanation
When you receive some kind of gift, be it money or property, through a will, that gift is known as a bequest. Your aunt left you a bequest of the earrings she always thought you admired. The noun bequest is something one arranges to give away after death, sort of a gift from beyond the grave. Basically, putting a bequest in a will is a way of making sure the right person will get certain goods after your death. If you are very wealthy, universities and charitable organizations may court you in an attempt to gain bequests for their institutions.
Vocabulary lists containing bequest
Beowulf vocabulary
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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Pygmalion
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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:
Since you wouldn’t have to worry about running out of money in old age, you might travel the world, buy a sports car, or gift an early bequest to heirs.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
A promise or statement of intent is not the same as a bequest or beneficiary designation.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2025
In 1838 the U.S. received more than $500,000 from that bequest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
British scientist James Smithson’s bequest was intended to support “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2025
He died soon after making this bequest of his life’s work to the stunned younger man, who only weeks before had been a penniless refugee.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Gulbenkian’s friends, the directors of the Louvre and the National Galleries in London and Washington, had hoped for bequests; a new wing of the National Gallery, London, had even been proposed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Gold bars, rings and necklaces can be handed down to the next generation as wedding gifts or inheritance bequests.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
It’s also likely that the Reiners included charitable bequests in their estate plans.
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2025
You can also make bequests in a will, either by leaving a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 19, 2025
It was held by the State until 1805, when it was released by the Commonwealth, owing to the large bequests that Colonel Royall made to the public.
From The Loyalists of Massachusetts And the Other Side of the American Revolution by James H. Stark
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.
