successor

noun

suc·​ces·​sor sək-ˈse-sər How to pronounce successor (audio)
: one that follows
especially : one who succeeds to a throne, title, estate, or office

Example Sentences

The CEO's successor used to be the vice president here. the successor to the throne
Recent Examples on the Web The report states an emphasis will be placed on identifying Goodell's successor during his next deal. Safid Deen, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2023 The racer’s smaller successor is no slouch, either, with a decent amount of grunt and a ton of attitude. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2023 The development process probably will not take long, because the AWACS successor will be an evolved version of the Wedgetail radar plane operated by Australia. Loren Thompson, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023 Unlike most co-hosts on Live, fans are already familiar with Ryan's successor. Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 8 Mar. 2023 The company is conducting an extensive search to identify McGarry’s successor. Bysheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2023 Shiv had enough of Logan dangling the carrot, and Roman ruined his chances of being his father’s successor with the aforementioned pic of his own, uh, dangling carrot. Vulture, 2 Mar. 2023 The episode highlighted a dilemma for Buttigieg’s party: The Democrats are led by an 80-year-old president with no clear successor. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 25 Feb. 2023 Johnson is not driving the No. 48, the only number he’s ever used at NASCAR’s top level; that now belongs to Daytona 500 pole-sitter Alex Bowman, Johnson’s successor at Hendrick Motorsports. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 19 Feb. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'successor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of successor was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near successor

Cite this Entry

“Successor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successor. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

successor

noun
suc·​ces·​sor sək-ˈses-ər How to pronounce successor (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce successor (audio)
: one that follows : one that succeeds another (as in a position, title, office, or estate)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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