bequeathed; bequeathing; bequeaths
1
: to give or leave by will (see will entry 2 sense 1)
—used especially of personal property
a ring bequeathed to her by her grandmother
2
: to hand down : transmit
lessons bequeathed to future generations
Examples of bequeath in a Sentence
He bequeathed his paintings to the museum.
Lessons of the past are bequeathed to future generations.
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s The Friend follows a New York writer and teacher as her life is thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 150 lb.
—
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2024
Even more surprising was his last will and testament, which bequeathed his home—estimated to be worth more than $4 million—and what was left of his family’s fortune to Thomas A. Strong Jr.
—airmail.news, 17 Aug. 2024
Oscar’s own Altadena home, on Grandeur Avenue, which was bequeathed to him and his wife, Laurie, by a great-aunt who bought it in the fifties, was just a five-minute drive away.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025
After years on the periphery of French politics, his fortunes changed in 1977 when he was bequeathed a mansion outside Paris by a millionaire backer, along with 30 million francs, around $5.2 million in today's money.
—Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bequeath 
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Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2024
Even more surprising was his last will and testament, which bequeathed his home—estimated to be worth more than $4 million—and what was left of his family’s fortune to Thomas A. Strong Jr.
—airmail.news, 17 Aug. 2024
Oscar’s own Altadena home, on Grandeur Avenue, which was bequeathed to him and his wife, Laurie, by a great-aunt who bought it in the fifties, was just a five-minute drive away.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2025
After years on the periphery of French politics, his fortunes changed in 1977 when he was bequeathed a mansion outside Paris by a millionaire backer, along with 30 million francs, around $5.2 million in today's money.
—Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bequeath
Dictionary Entries Near bequeath
Cite this Entry
“Bequeath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bequeath. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
1
: to give or leave property by a will
2
: hand down sense 1
traditions bequeathed by our ancestors
Legal Definition
bequeath
transitive verb
be·queath
bi-ˈkwēth, -ˈkwēt͟h 
Etymology
Old English becwethan to speak to, address, leave by will, from be- to, about + cwethan to say
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