successor

noun

suc·​ces·​sor sək-ˈse-sər 

: one that follows

especially : one who succeeds to a throne, title, estate, or office

Examples of successor in a Sentence

The CEO's successor used to be the vice president here.

the successor to the throne

Recent Examples on the Web

Slot can continue his experiments to find a successor on the right wing, with Szoboszlai the current favourite for that job. —Liam Tharme, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025

Once thought to be a young man’s game, rappers like Nas, Jadakiss, and Wale, among others, have created projects in recent years that rivaled—if not exceeded—many of their successors. —Okla Jones, Essence, 12 Dec. 2025

Now, Frictional Games has announced its return to sci-fi thrillers with spiritual successor ONTOS. —Ian Stokes, Space.com, 12 Dec. 2025

He will be replaced in the interim by two executives while the Canadian retailer searches for a permanent successor. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English successour, from Anglo-French, from Latin successor, from succedere

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for successor

• aggressor
• assessor
• compressor
• confessor
• depressor
• hairdresser
• necessar
• oppressor
• possessor
• processor
• professor
• repressor

Kids Definition

successor

noun

suc·​ces·​sor sək-ˈses-ər 

: one that follows

especially : a person who succeeds to a throne, title, estate, or office

Legal Definition

successor

noun

suc·​ces·​sor sək-ˈse-sər 

: one that follows : one that succeeds another (as in a position, title, office, or estate)