Inherit

/ɪnˈhɛɹɪt/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To receive (property, a title, etc.), by legal succession or bequest after the previous owner's death..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To receive (property, a title, etc.), by legal succession or bequest after the previous owner's death.
2. (transitive) To take possession of as a right (especially in Biblical translations).
3. (transitive, biology) To receive a characteristic from one's ancestors by genetic transmission.
4. (transitive) To derive from people or conditions previously in force.
5. (computing, programming, transitive) To derive (existing functionality) from a superclass.
6. (computing, programming, transitive) To derive a new class from (a superclass).
7. (transitive, obsolete) To put in possession of.

Example Sentences

After Grandad died, I inherited the house.

‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’

Your descendants will inherit the earth.

Let's hope the baby inherits his mother's looks and his father's intelligence.

This country has inherited an invidious class culture.

ModalWindow inherits all the properties and methods of Window.

For example, the following two code segments, from different assemblies, show how easy it is to inherit a class from another assembly.

This, or else nothing, will inherit her

Synonyms for inherit

Antonyms for inherit

Related Words

Word Forms

• inherits
• inheriting
• inherited

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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