inheritance

American  

[in-her-i-tuhns] / ɪnˈhɛr ɪ təns /

noun

• inheritances
  plural

1. something that is or may be inherited; property passing at the owner's death to the heir or those entitled to succeed; legacy.

   Synonyms:

   bequest, patrimony

2. the genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring, taken collectively.

3. something, as a quality, characteristic, or other immaterial possession, received from progenitors or predecessors as if by succession.

   an inheritance of family pride.

4. the act or fact of inheriting by succession, as if by succession, or genetically.

   to receive property by inheritance.

5. portion; birthright; heritage.

   Absolute rule was considered the inheritance of kings.

6. Obsolete. right of possession; ownership.

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inheritance British  

/ ɪnˈhɛrɪtəns /

noun

1. law

   1. hereditary succession to an estate, title, etc

   2. the right of an heir to succeed to property on the death of an ancestor

   3. something that may legally be transmitted to an heir

2. the act of inheriting

3. something inherited; heritage

4. the derivation of characteristics of one generation from an earlier one by heredity

5. obsolete hereditary rights

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inheritance Scientific  

/ ĭn-hĕr′ĭ-təns /

1. The process by which traits or characteristics pass from parents to offspring through the genes.

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Synonym Usage

Inheritance, heritage denote something inherited. Inheritance is the common term for property or any possession that comes to an heir: He received the farm as an inheritance from his parents. Heritage indicates something that is bequeathed to a subsequent generation by an individual or by society: our cultural heritage from Greece and Rome.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preinheritance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inheritances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of inheritance

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English enheritance, from Anglo-French; equivalent to inherit + -ance

Explanation

Any money or property you receive after the death of a friend or relative is an inheritance. Your grandmother might have left you a small inheritance, but she left the bulk of her estate to her Chihuahua, Killer. A title that passes with death is also called an inheritance. If the current monarch of Britain dies, the inheritance passes to the next in line for the throne, first to the oldest son. A trait that is passed from parent to child genetically is also referred to as an inheritance. The inheritance of red hair, for example, might be common in your family.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inheritance inheritances

We recognize that making a decision about an inheritance while we are hurt could be a mistake.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

We amended the trust so that if my brother predeceases my 94-year-old father, his inheritance passes to his 19-year-old daughter.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

He shows her ideas taking shape at desks where classifications opened or foreclosed futures, within organizations charged with apportioning the remnants of an inheritance among the living.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

I have spent ten years loving Lesbos as an inheritance, a thing I own from a distance, and the smoke on my screen has shamed that love into something more useful.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

As Zola also sought to demonstrate in Les Rougon-Macquart, the trajectory of our lives is predetermined by our genetic inheritance.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

In her view, farmers who don’t want a data center might not appreciate that family farms become family inheritances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Throughout their 20s, both men lived off allowances and inheritances from their families.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

I am loath to disclaim the power that comes with symbols such as the flag, words such as freedom, and the attachments that adhere to foundational inheritances such as, yes, the Constitution.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

It is often their parents who are the driving force behind ring-fencing those inheritances.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky—but all critical to making them who they are.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• bequest
• estate
• heritage
• legacy