Inheritance is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows a new class, known as a subclass or child class, to inherit properties and behaviors (methods) from an existing class, referred to as a superclass or parent class. This mechanism promotes code reusability and establishes a hierarchical relationship between classes. For instance, if you have a class called “Animal,” you can create subclasses like “Dog” and “Cat” that inherit common attributes and methods from “Animal.” Inheritance simplifies code management and enhances the clarity of the program’s structure, making it easier to understand and maintain.