Okuzeka
Law vocabulary · Rights & Obligations

Inheritance

Meaning in law, with examples

/ɪnˈherɪtəns/nounCommon term

In law, inheritance means: Money, property or rights that pass to a person when someone dies, and the legal process by which this happens.

In Turkish: miras, veraset, miras yoluyla intikal

How it is used

People 'receive', 'claim' or 'divide' an inheritance. Lawyers more often speak of 'succession' ('the law of succession') and of the 'estate' of the deceased person. 'Inheritance tax' is the tax due on what is inherited. The verb is 'inherit'.

Example sentences

  1. The brothers could not agree on how to divide the inheritance.

  2. Under the law, a spouse is entitled to part of the inheritance even without a will.

Common collocations

  • receive an inheritance
  • inheritance tax
  • inheritance law
  • share of the inheritance
  • inheritance dispute
  • willA legal document in which a person states who should receive their property and money after they die, and who should manage this.
  • propertyThings that someone owns, such as land, buildings, goods or money, and also the legal right of ownership over those things.
  • rightSomething the law allows you to have or do, or allows you to demand from others, such as the right to a fair trial or the right to be paid.
  • entitled toHaving the legal right to have or do something, for example to receive a payment, a notice period or a share of property.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Rights & Obligations

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.