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
Under current rules, when a foreign gift or bequest is valued at more than $100,000 in any calendar year Form 3520 must be filed.
—
Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Fully 91% of wealthy collectors had works in their collections that were inherited or gifted through a will or other bequest, according to the survey.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2024
One of them is a tax on all wealth received over one's lifetime in the form of bequests and gifts.
—Foreign Affairs, 24 Jan. 2016
In addition to the taxes that are imposed directly on the CE, a U.S. recipient of a future gift or bequest from the CE must pay a special transfer tax upon receiving that gift or inheritance, currently at a 40% tax rate on its value.
—Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bequest 
Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Fully 91% of wealthy collectors had works in their collections that were inherited or gifted through a will or other bequest, according to the survey.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2024
One of them is a tax on all wealth received over one's lifetime in the form of bequests and gifts.
—Foreign Affairs, 24 Jan. 2016
In addition to the taxes that are imposed directly on the CE, a U.S. recipient of a future gift or bequest from the CE must pay a special transfer tax upon receiving that gift or inheritance, currently at a 40% tax rate on its value.
—Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.d., Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bequest
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bequest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bequest
Cite this Entry
“Bequest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bequest. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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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