successor

noun

suc·​ces·​sor sək-ˈse-sər How to pronounce successor (audio)
Synonyms of successor
: 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
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.
Marshall won the starting job over Cole Ballard as the successor to Jalon Daniels, who’d played quarterback for most of the past six seasons at Kansas. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026 Trump cranks heat on Warsh Friday’s comments show Trump resuming his pressure campaign against the Fed, which had eased since the appointment of Warsh, his handpicked successor to Jerome Powell. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026 Cathy Engelbert will step down as WNBA commissioner at year’s end after more than seven years, but vows to stay on temporarily if a successor isn’t found. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Madrid had begun life under Mourinho, who was appointed Alvaro Arbeloa’s successor in the summer, returning to the club after 13 years, with three wins from their opening three top-flight matches. — Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for successor

Word History

Etymology

Middle English successour, from Anglo-French, from Latin successor, from succedere

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of successor was in the 13th century

Rhymes for successor

See All Rhymes for successor

Browse Nearby Words

success line
successor
successorship
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Successor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/successor. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

successor

noun
suc·​ces·​sor sək-ˈses-ər How to pronounce successor (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce successor (audio)
: one that follows : one that succeeds another (as in a position, title, office, or estate)

More from Merriam-Webster on successor

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for successor

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