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 For example, rather than preserving a certain portion of an investment portfolio specifically for heirs, retirees may be able to rely on a life insurance death benefit to provide an inheritance. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Kaya is Panettiere’s sole heir, the lawyer previously stated in court filings. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2026 After Edward the Confessor died with no heirs, Harold was crowned in January 1066, but William also claimed the kingship. — Alicja Zelazko, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026 Looking for opportunity Senator Bolsonaro is a career politician who succeeded in simultaneously presenting himself as his father’s heir and as the candidate for renewal. — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heir
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heir
  1. inheritor
  2. legatee
  3. heiress
  4. descendant
Noun
  • Young and middle-aged inheritors are more digitally savvy and activism-oriented than older generations.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
  • 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
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
  • Wallace plays Mia, a spoiled heiress who is sent by her grandfather to Palermo, Sicily, without money or her customary luxuries, to work as a real estate agent in the family business.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • At her 2016 parole hearing, Krenwinkel described repeatedly stabbing 26-year-old coffee heiress Folger.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of heiress
Noun
  • Harington who starred as Jon Snow in GOT, is a real-life descendant of Catesby, and lead a cast also including Liv Tyler (The Lord of the Rings), Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) and Peter Mullan (My Name is Joe).
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The Roku Channel has greenlit Scarlett Holmes, a limited series that will star Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars, 2024’s F*** Marry Kill) as a descendant of Sherlock Holmes who has inherited the family’s observational powers.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on heir

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about heir

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