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
Wolsey died in Season 1, but not before bequeathing his showcase to Henry, who returned the favor by accusing his chief minister of treason.
—
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2025
These were bequeathed to her nephew Erik af Klint, a vice admiral in the Swedish Navy.
—Jay Cheshes, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
In 2003, following the death of the list’s creator, the fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, the list was bequeathed to Herrera, Amy Fine Collins, Carter and Aimée Bell — all of whom are now Vanity Fair alumni.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 18 Mar. 2025
Now, even a best-case scenario of the next four years which results in the election of another Democrat to clean up whatever political superfund site is bequeathed to them by Trump and Elon Musk's goon squad cannot easily undo the damage.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bequeath
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2025
These were bequeathed to her nephew Erik af Klint, a vice admiral in the Swedish Navy.
—Jay Cheshes, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
In 2003, following the death of the list’s creator, the fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, the list was bequeathed to Herrera, Amy Fine Collins, Carter and Aimée Bell — all of whom are now Vanity Fair alumni.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 18 Mar. 2025
Now, even a best-case scenario of the next four years which results in the election of another Democrat to clean up whatever political superfund site is bequeathed to them by Trump and Elon Musk's goon squad cannot easily undo the damage.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bequeath
Cite this Entry
“Bequeath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bequeath. Accessed 3 Apr. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share