heir

noun

ˈer How to pronounce heir (audio)
Definition of heirnext
as in inheritor
a person who has the right to inherit property upon his death, Mr. Parkworth's property was divided evenly among his heirs, four sons and three daughters

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heir United Russia, the country’s nominal ruling party, was never built to designate an heir; rather, it was meant to ensure that elections produced reliably pro-regime seat-fillers in institutions such as parliament. — Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026 Lauder became synonymous with the political issue, and Bloomberg later ran for a third mayoral term only after the cosmetics heir gave his blessing. — Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Estimates suggest that trillions of dollars will flow to heirs during that time. — Sharon Epperson,stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors agreed to pay $12 million to Sylvia Johnson, Sophia's grandmother and the only heir to her estate. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heir
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heir
  1. inheritor
  2. legatee
  3. heiress
  4. descendant
Noun
  • The hope behind the request was that the proud inheritor of the Byzantine empire could escape its associations with a pretty derpy American bird.
    — Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • Another challenge that may result is leaving large tax liabilities for future generations, particularly if the inheritors receive such funds during their peak earning years.
    — Monish Verma, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of inheritor
Noun
  • The old immigrants are likely to remain—in the manner of the occasional Wasp legatee (Wagner, Lindsay) who poked in during the buoyant sixties—more visitors to wars over civic power than victors in them.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Trump and allies, meanwhile, often cast him as legatee of Reagan.
    — David Jackson, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2024
Definition of legatee
Noun
  • Founded in 2017 by Alice Walton, a prominent philanthropist and heiress to the Walmart fortune, the Art Bridges Foundation’s mission is to expand access to American art across all regions of the United States.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Alison Kennedy was the heiress of a wealthy Palo Alto family who would later adopt the alter ego Queen Mu and launch an influential cyberculture magazine called Mondo 2000, a futuristic mash-up of technology, psychedelics, and arts writing.
    — Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of heiress
Noun
  • In fact, the two of them are actually related—Daenerys is Rhaenyra’s descendant from House Targaryen.
    — Parents, Parents, 31 July 2026
  • The director is a descendant of the First Nations, and the film questions the colonial myth of what is beyond the frontier and how this myth still affects people.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
Definition of descendant

Phrases Containing heir

Browse Nearby Words

heinousness
heir
heir apparent
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Cite this Entry

“Heir.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heir. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on heir

Nglish: Translation of heir for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about heir

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