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

In 1999, Vladimir Putin became prime minister of Russia, chosen by President Yeltsin as his successor. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Ayatollah Khomeini and his successors built proxy movements to spread their ideology across the Middle East. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026

Coe will step down as World Athletics president next year, so this is a parting gift to his successor. — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

The initiative seeks a successor to the MQ-9 Reaper, with officials pushing for an aircraft that costs less and can be used in greater numbers. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026

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)