INHERIT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does inherit mean? 

• INHERIT (verb)
  The verb INHERIT has 3 senses:

1. obtain from someone after their death

2. receive from a predecessor

3. receive by genetic transmission

  Familiarity information: INHERIT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INHERIT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they inherit    ... he / she / it inherits   
Past simple: inherited   
Past participle: inherited   
-ing form: inheriting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Obtain from someone after their death

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

I inherited a castle from my French grandparents

Hypernyms (to "inherit" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Verb group:

inherit (receive by genetic transmission)

inherit (receive from a predecessor)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody

Derivation:

inheritance (hereditary succession to a title or an office or property)

inheritor (a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Receive from a predecessor

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

The new chairman inherited many problems from the previous chair

Verb group:

inherit (obtain from someone after their death)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Receive by genetic transmission

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

I inherited my good eyesight from my mother

Hypernyms (to "inherit" is one way to...):

have; receive (get something; come into possession of)

Verb group:

inherit (obtain from someone after their death)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

inheritance ((genetics) attributes acquired via biological heredity from the parents)

 Context examples 

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AAT deficiency) is an inherited condition that raises your risk for lung and liver disease.

(Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Any variance from the expected 1:1 ratio for the expression of the two inherited parental alleles for the same gene.

(Allelic Imbalance, NCI Thesaurus)

It usually occurs in infants and children and may be inherited.

(Alagille syndrome, NCI Dictionary)

A genetic syndrome usually inherited as an X-link trait.

(Alport Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

An inherited disorder that affects the metabolism of the amino acids.

(Amino Acid Metabolism Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

A rare autosomal dominant inherited metabolic disorder characterized by deficiency of the enzyme tetrahydrofolate-methyltransferase.

(Arakawa's Syndrome II, NCI Thesaurus)

It may be inherited, usually in an autosomal dominant pattern, or acquired.

(Antithrombin III Deficiency, NCI Thesaurus)

A rare genetic inherited abnormality characterized by the partial or complete absence of the iris of the eye.

(Aniridia, NCI Thesaurus)

But instead, the bone yielded 98.7% of the bird's mitochondrial genome, the DNA most living things inherit from their mothers.

(Extinct Caribbean bird yields DNA after 2,500 years in watery grave, National Science Foundation)

These inherited diseases appear to damage the retina similarly to prion diseases.

(Retinal prion disease study redefines role for brain cells, National Institutes of Health)