# inherit

/ˌɪnˈhɛɹət/ (US) · /ɪnhˈɛɹɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/inherit
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. money or property

verb · CEFR B2

to receive money, property, or a title from someone after they die.

For teachers: to receive property, rank, or a title by legal succession or as a result of a will.

- She inherited a large house from her grandmother last year.
- Upon the sudden passing of his uncle, he inherited the family estate along with the significant debts attached to it.

Usage: Often used with the preposition 'from'.

### 2. physical traits

verb · CEFR B2

to get a physical feature or personality trait from your parents or ancestors.

For teachers: to receive a characteristic from one's ancestors through genetic transmission.

- He inherited his father's blue eyes and his mother's musical talent.
- Geneticists are studying how certain predispositions for heart disease are inherited across multiple generations.

### 3. a situation

verb · CEFR B2

to deal with a situation or problem that was left behind by the person who had your job before you.

For teachers: to receive or take over a situation, often a problematic one, from a predecessor.

- The new manager inherited a lot of problems from the previous team.
- The incoming administration inherited a fragile economy and a series of unresolved diplomatic tensions.

### 4. programming

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to receive features or code from another part of a computer program.

For teachers: to derive existing functionality or attributes from a superclass in object-oriented programming.

- In this code, the 'Car' class will inherit all the features of the 'Vehicle' class.
- By ensuring the subclass inherits from the base component, developers can reuse core logic without duplicating code across the application.

## Examples

- She will inherit the family business next year.
- Many children inherit their musical talent or athletic ability from their parents through a mix of genetics and environment.
- Upon the sudden passing of the patriarch, the eldest daughter was set to inherit not only the vast estate but also the complex political alliances he had spent decades cultivating.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.