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
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
This kind of bequest is a huge deal for Symphony San Jose, which in 2022 had an operating budget of about $4 million.
—
Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
The fear and hatred of death that shrouded McGahern’s prior novels, and bore in him a stubborn resistance to so much of Ireland and its bequests, has fallen away.
—Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Created by Congress in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution’s roots are in a bequest from James Smithson, an English scientist who died in 1829 and left his estate to the federal government.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Frenchman Michel Pouget brought the grape to Argentina in 1853 at the bequest of the country’s president, and the variety has made a new home for itself throughout the country and especially in Mendoza’s dry, high-altitude vineyards.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 12 Jan. 2025
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Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
The fear and hatred of death that shrouded McGahern’s prior novels, and bore in him a stubborn resistance to so much of Ireland and its bequests, has fallen away.
—Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Created by Congress in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution’s roots are in a bequest from James Smithson, an English scientist who died in 1829 and left his estate to the federal government.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Frenchman Michel Pouget brought the grape to Argentina in 1853 at the bequest of the country’s president, and the variety has made a new home for itself throughout the country and especially in Mendoza’s dry, high-altitude vineyards.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bequest
Dictionary Entries Near bequest
Cite this Entry
“Bequest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bequest. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bequest
noun
be·quest
bi-ˈkwest 
1
: the action of bequeathing
2
: something given or left by a will
Legal Definition
bequest
noun
be·quest
bi-ˈkwest
: 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
—
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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