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

This year, the ritual was performed by his successor, Leo XIV, the first American Pope. —Paul Elie, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026

On Monday, as ​he was nominated in parliament as a presidential candidate, Min Aung Hlaing anointed Ye Win Oo, a former intelligence chief seen as fiercely ​loyal to the general, as his successor to lead the military. —Reuters, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026

Kieswetter’s successor as tax chief was announced on Thursday. —Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 3 Apr. 2026

The presidency of his successor, Ali Khamenei, marked a period of relative alignment with the supreme leader. —Roxane Razavi, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 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)