succession

American  

[suhk-sesh-uhn] / səkˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

successions plural

1. the coming of one person or thing after another in order, sequence, or in the course of events.

   many troubles in succession.

2. a number of persons or things following one another in order or sequence.

3. the right, act, or process, by which one person succeeds to the office, rank, estate, or the like, of another.

4. the order or line of those entitled to succeed one another.

5. the descent or transmission of a throne, dignity, estate, or the like.

6. Also called ecological succession.  Ecology. the progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established.

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succession British  

/ səkˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of one person or thing following another

2. a number of people or things following one another in order

3. the act, process, or right by which one person succeeds to the office, etc, of another

4. the order that determines how one person or thing follows another

5. a line of descent to a title, etc

6. ecology the sum of the changes in the composition of a community that occur during its development towards a stable climax community

7. in a manner such that one thing is followed uninterruptedly by another

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succession Scientific  

/ sək-sĕsh′ən /

1. The gradual replacement of one type of ecological community by another in the same area, involving a series of orderly changes, especially in the dominant vegetation. Succession is usually initiated by a significant disturbance of an existing community. Each succeeding community modifies the physical environment, as by introducing shade or changing the fertility or acidity of the soil, creating new conditions that benefit certain species and inhibit others until a climax community is established.

2. ◆ The sequential development of plant and animal communities in an area in which no topsoil exists, as on a new lava flow, is called primary succession.

3. ◆ The development of such communities in an area that has been disturbed but still retains its topsoil, as in a burned-over area, is called secondary succession.

4. See more at climax community

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Synonym Usage

See series.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsuccession
  noun
• nonsuccessional
  adjective
• successional
  adjective
• nonsuccessionally
  adverb
• successionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• successions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of succession

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin successiōn- (stem of successiō ) “a following (someone) in office,” equivalent to success(us), past participle of succēdere “to succeed” ( see succeed) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Use the word succession to describe things that follow one another, as well as the order in which they do so. The Vice President is first in line of succession to be the President and the Secretary of State is fourth. Sometimes when a leader dies, the one who rules after him is determined not by law as in the U.S. or blood as in a monarchy but by the dying leader himself. Dictators often groom one of their sons for succession. Figuratively, you can use succession to indicate that one thing after another has come and gone without taking hold. The storefront has been home to a succession of businesses, all of which have failed. Fashions come and go in quick succession.

Example Sentences

For the first time in the Targaryen war of succession, “there is momentum to Rhaenyra’s campaign,” says D’Arcy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026

Materials arrive for the day in a succession of 18-wheeler trucks, which are tipped by hydraulic lifts to empty the contents of their trailers onto the 28,000-square-foot tipping room floor.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

Since then, a succession of satellites has extended that long-term dataset.

From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026

Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was among the first of a succession of New York politicians to try to fix Penn Station.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

“And the only help my mother had was a succession of untrained maids, mostly girls from the country.”

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

• cycle
• progression
• series
• string