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

Some of these digital pamphlets provide terse, functional updates while others act as the successors to bygone alt-weeklies, covering cultural happenings and carrying out local-interest investigations. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 14 May 2026

Craft has the power to appoint Loving’s successor. —Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026

And Newsom, who recently shared his pick for lieutenant governor, has opted to remain mum on a successor to lead the nation’s most populous state. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 14 May 2026

Maui was fit for Hawaiian kings and royal courts, notably Kamehameha I and his successors, who made the coastal town of Lahaina the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1820 to 1845. —Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 14 May 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)