bequest
noun
be·quest
| \ bi-ˈkwest
, bē-\
, bē-\
Definition of bequest
1
: the act of giving or leaving something by will (see will entry 2 sense 1) : the act of bequeathing
established at the bequest of a local philanthropist
2
: something given or left by will or transmitted from the past : something bequeathed : legacy
made a bequest of his paintings to the museum
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Synonyms for bequest
Synonyms
birthright, heritage, inheritance, legacy, patrimony
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Examples of bequest in a Sentence
He made a bequest of his paintings to the museum.
left small bequests to all of her nieces and nephews
Recent Examples on the Web
Of that, $75 million is in the form of bequests from donors who are still living. — David Heinzmann, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago Archdiocese pledged $150 million for a scholarship trust. Six years later, it holds less than a third of the money.," 25 July 2019 Debate ensued in Congress about whether to accept the bequest at all. — Michael Waters, Smithsonian, "Mr. Smithson’s Family Goes to Washington," 14 June 2019 Acquisitions during his tenure included 18th-century portraits of Inca kings, a 14th-century Florentine altarpiece and a bequest of 20th-century works from the New York collection of Edith and Milton Lowenthal. — Sam Roberts, New York Times, "Robert T. Buck, Who Revitalized Brooklyn Museum, Dies at 79," 12 Apr. 2018 In 1949, the BMA received 500 works by Matisse as part of a bequest from the Baltimore sisters Claribel and Etta Cone. — Mary Carole Mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "With $5 million gift and new center, Baltimore Museum of Art aims to cement its name as world’s Matisse HQ," 25 July 2019 The foundation, based outside of Washington, D.C., in Reston, Virginia, is well-funded, reporting about $24 million in donations and bequests in 2018, and close to the same amount in spending. — Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Former Gov. Scott Walker to take the helm of conservative group, says he won't run for office in 2022," 15 July 2019 Zhao, who, along with his wife, made a life income gift or bequest to Harvard’s public health school, said his children had no unfair advantage getting into Harvard. — Michael Levenson, BostonGlobe.com, "Dad who bought Harvard fencing coach’s house also tied to real estate deal with youth fencing coach," 2 May 2019 Emily’s lift The Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Mass, has just received a gift of $22 million out of a $25 million bequest to Amherst College. — Nina Maclaughlin, BostonGlobe.com, "Mass. Book Award winners; a new memoir examines the traps and contradictions of masculinity," 20 June 2019 In 2015 alone, seven individuals made gifts of more than $100 million apiece to higher education, including one bequest. — Daniel Golden, Town & Country, "How Wealthy Families Manipulate Admissions at Elite Universities," 21 Nov. 2016These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bequest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for bequest
bequest
noun
English Language Learners Definition of bequest
: the property or money that you promise in your will to give to another person or organization after you die
See the full definition for bequest in the English Language Learners Dictionary
bequest
noun
be·quest
| \ bi-ˈkwest
\
\
Kids Definition of bequest
1
: the act of leaving property by means of a will
2
: something given or left by a will
bequest
noun
be·quest
| \ bi-ˈkwest
\
\
Legal Definition of bequest
: an act of bequeathing
also
: something bequeathed : legacy
—
demonstrative bequest
\ di-ˈmän-strə-tiv- \
: a bequest of a particular amount of money or property to be distributed first from one source in the estate and then from other sources to the extent that the first is insufficient
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general bequest
: a bequest that is to be distributed from the general assets of the estate and that is not a particular thing
—
specific bequest
\ spə-ˈsi-fik- \
: a bequest of a particular item or part of an estate or that is payable only from a specified source in the estate and not from the general assets
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