Meaning & use
inherit
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitivelegal
To receive money, property, or a title from a person after that person has died.
Grammar: Usually takes an object: inherit a house; can be used alone: when he inherits.
Patterns
- inherit something from someone
- inherit something
She inherited her grandmother's cottage.
He will inherit the family business after his father dies.
The children inherited nothing but old books.
verbtransitivebiology
To get a physical or mental trait from a parent through genes.
Grammar: Takes an object: inherit red hair.
Patterns
- inherit something from someone
I inherited my mother's curly hair.
Some diseases are inherited from one generation to the next.
The puppy inherited its father's sharp hearing.
verbtransitive
To take over a situation, problem, or object from someone who came before you.
Grammar: Often used for workplaces: inherit a mess.
Patterns
- inherit something from someone
- inherit a problem
The new manager inherited a team with low morale.
We inherited an old computer system from the previous owners.
The mayor inherited a large budget deficit.
Word forms
| third person singular | inherits |
|---|---|
| past tense | inherited |
| past participle | inherited |
| -ing form | inheriting |
Common combinations
- inherit a fortune
- She inherited a fortune from a distant uncle.
- inherit a trait
- Children can inherit a trait even if the parent hides it.
- inherit a problem
- The new coach inherited a problem with injuries.
- inherit from
- He inherited his love of music from his father.
- inherit the throne
- The prince will inherit the throne one day.
- inherit a mess
- We inherited a mess when the tenants left.
Synonyms and how they differ
- receive
- Receive is any form of getting something, while inherit specifically implies it passes down from someone earlier.
- take over
- Take over is used for jobs and responsibility, whereas inherit can mean that and also gifts after death.
- come into
- Come into is an informal phrase for obtaining money or property, especially by inheritance.
- succeed to
- Succeed to is formal and used for titles and positions, like a throne.
Opposites
Word family
- inheritance noun
- money or property received after a death
- inheritor noun
- a person who inherits
- heir noun
- a person legally entitled to inherit
- inherited adjective
- received from a parent or predecessor
- heredity noun
- the passing of traits from parents to children
Commonly confused: inherit or inhabit? inherit or inherent?
inherit vs inhabit
Inhabit means to live in a place, while inherit means to receive something from someone earlier.
inherit vs inherent
Inherent means existing as a natural, built-in part of something, not received from an earlier person.
Practice
When my aunt died, I ____ her collection of antique clocks.
Choose one answer.
Inherited means received after someone's death. Inhabited means lived in, inhibited means held back, and exhibited means displayed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inherit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.