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
In The Friend, Watts plays a novelist and creative writing teacher whose solitary life is upended after the unexpected death of a friend (Bill Murray), who bequeaths his Great Dane to her, per the NYFF's official synopsis.
—
Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Although the one-party system Stalin bequeathed to Beijing has remained essentially unchanged since 1921, the lives described in these three books have nonetheless helped Chinese politics swing between opposing poles ever since the end of the old imperial system.
—Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
Eisenhower unified the services still further, brought down defense budgets, and improved the institutions that Truman had bequeathed him.
—Martin E. Dempsey, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2013
By the end of the song, Martin confidently bequeaths Mendes the honor of finishing the track with his voice alone.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bequeath 
Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Although the one-party system Stalin bequeathed to Beijing has remained essentially unchanged since 1921, the lives described in these three books have nonetheless helped Chinese politics swing between opposing poles ever since the end of the old imperial system.
—Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
Eisenhower unified the services still further, brought down defense budgets, and improved the institutions that Truman had bequeathed him.
—Martin E. Dempsey, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2013
By the end of the song, Martin confidently bequeaths Mendes the honor of finishing the track with his voice alone.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bequeath
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bequeath.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bequeath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bequeath. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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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