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
Consider that if husband’s will bequeaths to the trust for his children the maximum amount that can pass free of estate tax, once the estate tax is eliminated, what is that amount?
—
Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 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 million euros ($5.2 million) in today's money.
—Elizabeth Pineau and Marine Strauss, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Following its disappearance from that institution, it was purchased in 1948 from a New York dealer by financier and Met trustee Walter C. Baker, who bequeathed it to the Met.
—News Desk, Artforum, 25 Feb. 2025
Watts stars as Iris, a woman who finds her comfortable New York life upended when her friend and mentor Walter (Murray) bequeaths her his Great Dane, Apollo.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bequeath
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Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 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 million euros ($5.2 million) in today's money.
—Elizabeth Pineau and Marine Strauss, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Following its disappearance from that institution, it was purchased in 1948 from a New York dealer by financier and Met trustee Walter C. Baker, who bequeathed it to the Met.
—News Desk, Artforum, 25 Feb. 2025
Watts stars as Iris, a woman who finds her comfortable New York life upended when her friend and mentor Walter (Murray) bequeaths her his Great Dane, Apollo.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 11 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 23 Mar. 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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