inheritance
noun/ɪnˈherɪtəns/
/ɪnˈherɪtəns/
- [countable, uncountable] the money, property, etc. that you receive from somebody when they die; the fact of receiving something when somebody dies
- She spent all her inheritance in a year.
- The title passes by inheritance to the eldest son.
- She came into (= received) her inheritance at eighteen.
Collocations FinanceFinanceIncome- earn money/cash/(informal) a fortune/the minimum wage/a living wage
- make money/a fortune/(informal) a killing on the stock market
- acquire/inherit/amass wealth/a fortune
- build up funds/savings
- get/receive/leave (somebody) an inheritance/a legacy
- live on a low wage/a fixed income/a pension
- get/receive/draw/collect a pension
- depend/be dependent on (British English) benefits/(North American English) welfare/social security
- spend money/your savings/(informal) a fortune on…
- invest/put your savings in…
- throw away/waste/ (informal) shell out money on…
- lose your money/inheritance/pension
- use up/ (informal) wipe out all your savings
- pay (in) cash
- use/pay by a credit/debit/contactless card
- pay by/make out a/write somebody a/accept a (British English) cheque/(US English) check
- change/exchange money/currency
- give/pay/leave (somebody) a deposit
- have/hold/open/close/freeze a bank account/an account
- credit/debit/pay something into/take money out of your account
- deposit money/funds in your account
- withdraw money/cash/£30 from an ATM, etc.
- (formal) make a deposit/withdrawal
- find/go to/use (especially North American English) an ATM/(British English) a cash machine/dispenser
- be in credit/in debit/in the black/in the red/overdrawn
- use a mobile/an online banking app/platform/service
- manage/handle/plan/run/ (especially British English) sort out your finances
- plan/manage/work out/stick to a budget
- offer/extend credit (to somebody)
- arrange/take out a loan/an overdraft
- pay back/repay money/a loan/a debt
- pay for something in (especially British English) instalments/(North American English usually) installments
- get into debt/financial difficulties
- be short of/ (informal) be strapped for cash
- run out of/owe money
- face/get/ (informal) be landed with a bill for £…
- can’t afford the cost of…/payments/rent
- fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the mortgage/repayments/rent
- incur/run up/accumulate debts
- tackle/reduce/settle your debts
Extra ExamplesTopics Family and relationshipsc1- He had a large inheritance from his parents.
- Jealous relatives tried to challenge her inheritance.
- She left him an inheritance of £100 000.
- The Earl of Arundel's heir was restored to his inheritance and granted the lordship of Chirk.
- The inheritance was divided equally among all the sons.
- The system involved inheritance by the eldest son.
- Under their law, all children shared in the inheritance.
- When he was 21 he came into a large inheritance.
- When his father died, he returned to England to claim his inheritance.
- inheritance through marriage
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- large
- small
- rightful
- …
- leave somebody
- come into
- get
- …
- tax
- law
- rights
- …
- inheritance by
- inheritance through
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- [uncountable, countable, usually singular] something from the past or from your family that affects the way you behave, look, etc.
- We are proud of our cultural inheritance.
- Physical characteristics are determined by genetic inheritance.
Extra Examples- the influence of the classical inheritance on Renaissance thought
- The inhabitants share a common inheritance of language and culture.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- common
- cultural
- genetic
- …
Word Originlate Middle English (formerly also as enheritance): from Anglo-Norman French enheritaunce ‘being admitted as heir’, from Old French enheriter, from late Latin inhereditare ‘appoint as heir’, from Latin in- ‘in’ + heres, hered- ‘heir’.
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inheritance