Meaning & use

bequeath

verb·Advanced

To leave property or money to someone through a will, or more broadly to pass something on to a successor.

See it in a sentence

Her grandmother bequeathed the old farmhouse to her three grandchildren after she passed away.

The retiring coach bequeathed his tactical notebooks to the assistant who replaced him.

A note on using this word

Bequeath is a formal, often legal term; use plain 'leave' in everyday speech and save 'bequeath' for wills or ceremonial contexts.

Words with a similar meaning

leavewillhand down

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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