Meaning & use
coheir
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablelegal
A person who inherits an estate together with one or more other heirs.
Grammar: Countable: one coheir, two coheirs; often followed by 'to' before the estate.
Patterns
- coheir to something
- a coheir of someone
Under the will, each daughter was a coheir to the family farm.
The court ruled that the two cousins were coheirs and had to divide the land equally.
As a coheir, she had the right to sell her share of the property.
nouncountableformal
A person who shares an inheritance, title, or fortune with another.
Grammar: Used more loosely for anything inherited, often in legal or historical writing.
Patterns
- coheir to something
He became coheir to a large fortune after his uncle died.
The brothers were coheirs to the old title and its debts.
Word forms
| plural | coheirs |
|---|
Common combinations
- coheir to the estate
- As coheir to the estate, he had to agree to any sale.
- sole heir and coheir
- The lawyer explained the difference between a sole heir and a coheir.
- become a coheir
- She became a coheir when her grandmother's will was read.
- coheir of the property
- Each coheir of the property paid a share of the taxes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heir
- 'Heir' is the general word and does not say whether others inherit too; 'coheir' always implies at least one other person.
- beneficiary
- 'Beneficiary' is broader and covers anyone named in a will or insurance policy, not only those inheriting an estate.
- inheritor
- 'Inheritor' stresses the act of receiving something and is less common in legal documents than 'coheir'.
Word family
Commonly confused: coheir or cohere?
coheir vs cohere
'Cohere' is a verb meaning to stick together or be logically consistent; 'coheir' is a noun for someone who inherits alongside another.
Practice
In the will, the two sisters were named as ___ to the house.
Choose one answer.
'Coheirs' fits because both sisters inherit the house together. 'Cohere' is a verb and cannot follow 'as'. 'Benefactors' means people who give money, the opposite of inheriting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “coheir”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.