inherit meaning and examples

2025-08-30

Meaning

  • Inherit (verb) means:

    1. To receive money, property, or other assets from someone after they die.
    2. To receive qualities, characteristics, or rights from ancestors or predecessors.
    3. In programming, to derive properties or methods from a parent class.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Verb
  • Transitivity: Transitive (requires an object)

Patterns

  • inherit sth from sb → "She inherited the house from her grandmother."
  • be inherited by sb (passive) → "The land was inherited by his eldest son."

Common Phrases

  • inherit property
  • inherit wealth
  • inherit responsibility
  • inherit traits
  • inherit a title

Collocations

  • inherit + fortune/property/estate/money
  • inherit + talent/characteristic/genes
  • inherit + problem/responsibility/legacy

Examples

  1. She inherited a large fortune from her uncle.
  2. Children inherit certain physical traits from their parents.
  3. He inherited his father’s sense of humor.
  4. The eldest son inherited the family business.
  5. The new CEO inherited many problems from her predecessor.
  6. This painting was inherited by the museum.
  7. The program inherits several features from the previous version.
  8. The kingdom was inherited by the young prince.
  9. She inherited blue eyes from her mother.
  10. In object-oriented programming, a subclass can inherit methods from its parent class.
  • receive (when used about property or money)
  • come into (inherit money or property)
  • derive (get qualities or traits)
  • be left (in a will)
  • acquire (more general)