inherit

present singular third person inherits · participle present inheriting · participle past inherited · past inherited

1. transitiveTo receive (property, a title, etc.), by legal succession or bequest, usually after the previous owner's death.

   After Grandad died, I inherited the house.

   2 more examples

   ‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   When we took office, we inherited a total catastrophe.

   2026 July 31, Donald J. Trump, quotee, “President Trump Hosts Historic Cabinet Meeting at Camp David”, in The White House, archived from the original on 31 Jul 2026

   Antonyms: bequeath, leave

   1. intransitivetransitiveTo come into an inheritance.

      Lucky old Daniel – his grandfather died rich, and he's inherited.

      Antonyms: bequeath, leave

2. transitiveTo take possession of as a right (especially in Biblical translations).

   Your descendants will inherit the earth.

3. transitivebiologyTo receive a characteristic from one's ancestors by genetic transmission.

   Let's hope the baby inherits his mother's looks and his father's intelligence.

   1 more example

   The couple had two daughters, Donna and Cathy. Donna was born without ectrodactyly, while Cathy inherited the condition, becoming the fifth generation of the Stiles family to be born with it.

   2026 August 16, Sthitapragya Chakraborty, “Grady Stiles Jr., the “Lobster Boy,” Killed His Daughter’s Fiancé in 1978. Years Later, His Own Family Had Him Murdered”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2026

4. transitiveTo derive from people or conditions previously in force.

   This country has inherited an invidious class culture.

5. transitivecomputingTo derive (existing functionality) from a superclass.

   ModalWindow inherits all the properties and methods of Window.

6. transitivecomputingTo derive a new class from (a superclass).

   For example, the following two code segments, from different assemblies, show how easy it is to inherit a class from another assembly.

   2006, Daniel Solis, Illustrated C# 2005

7. obsoletetransitiveTo put in possession of.

   This, or else nothing, will inherit her

   c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]