1
as in series
a series of things, people, events, or actions arranged or happening one after another
He experienced a succession of car repairs that set him back thousands of dollars.
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2
as in descent
the order of people in a family
The prince is third in the line of succession to the throne.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of succession
This all comes after reports that Andrew is considering renouncing his spot in the line of succession in order to avoid jail time.
—
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Mar. 2026
As vice president at the time, Rodríguez stepped into the role under constitutional succession mechanisms endorsed by the ruling party.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
The succession plan, which also named the governor’s sister, Penny Pritzker, and Jay Pritzker’s younger cousin Nick to help lead, precipitated an acrimonious breakup of the Pritzker family fortune in the early 2000s.
—Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
A day with the Buttigieges is a never-ending succession of wholesomeness.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for succession
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Mar. 2026
As vice president at the time, Rodríguez stepped into the role under constitutional succession mechanisms endorsed by the ruling party.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
The succession plan, which also named the governor’s sister, Penny Pritzker, and Jay Pritzker’s younger cousin Nick to help lead, precipitated an acrimonious breakup of the Pritzker family fortune in the early 2000s.
—Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
A day with the Buttigieges is a never-ending succession of wholesomeness.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for succession
Recent Examples of Synonyms for succession
Noun
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The Quarterhorse series is intended to pave the way for an even more advanced platform, Darkhorse, a reusable hypersonic aircraft envisioned for defense and national security missions.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
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Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Greater Los Angeles area is home to the largest concentration of people of Iranian descent outside Iran.—
Matthew Ormseth,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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The scandal results in her firing, and she is made to stare down a possible descent from riches to rags.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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A little lighting can also go a long way toward adding ambience and safety after dark, from a stylish wall lantern (now 87% off) to shatterproof LED string lights that don’t require a plug-in.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Mar. 2026
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Then-current neoclassicism is evident in bright scorings — for double winds and brass, strings and timpani — and patches of contrapuntal business.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But a new investigation of Asgard genomes has revealed previously unknown lineages of the microbes in shallow coastal sediments, some of which appear tolerant of and use oxygen, according to a study published February 18 in the journal Nature.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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This one belongs to a lineage with roots stretching back roughly half a billion years.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Over the year, the team handles challenging cases including premature birth, placenta previa, kidney cancer, tuberculosis, and slavery.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Mar. 2026
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The German international had missed the team’s first match due to a visa delay and the birth of his first child just before the season.—
Harold Gutmann,
Mercury News,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His second album, Baby—a meditation on heredity, shredded and reconstituted in a $10 DJ program—was released to rapturous acclaim in August.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
8 Dec. 2025
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To truly understand genes and heredity, researchers had to learn to read the DNA code.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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By then, Iran had managed to improve relations with several neighbors.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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That year, employees at Alphabet's Google protested the Pentagon's use of the company's AI to analyze drone footage, straining relations between Silicon Valley and Washington.—
Andrea Shalal,
USA Today,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Succession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/succession. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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