heir
Americannoun
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a person who inherits or has a right of inheritance in the property of another following the latter's death.
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Law.
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(in common law) a person who inherits all the property of a deceased person, as by descent, relationship, will, or legal process.
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Civil Law. a person who legally succeeds to the place of a deceased person and assumes the rights and obligations of the deceased, as the liabilities for debts or the possessory rights to property.
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a person who inherits or is entitled to inherit the rank, title, position, etc., of another.
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a person or group considered as inheriting the tradition, talent, etc., of a predecessor.
verb (used with object)
noun
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civil law the person legally succeeding to all property of a deceased person, irrespective of whether such person died testate or intestate, and upon whom devolves as well as the rights the duties and liabilities attached to the estate
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any person or thing that carries on some tradition, circumstance, etc, from a forerunner
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an archaic word for offspring
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heir
1225–75; Middle English eir, heir < Old French < Latin hērēd- (stem of hērēs ); akin to Greek chêros bereaved
Explanation
If your grandfather leaves his candy factory to you in his will, it means you're the heir to the family candy business, and after your grandfather dies, you will inherit the factory. When you're named in a will or are legally entitled to inherit something, you're an heir. You can be the heir to someone's money, business, or title; in a monarchy, the king or queen's oldest son is usually the heir to the throne. The word heir isn't pronounced like "hair," but instead has a silent h and sounds like "air."
Vocabulary lists containing heir
"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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Words from Shakespearean Insults
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Haftar, 82, and his sons -- including Saddam, his heir apparent -- will attend the display of firepower on May 19, along with foreign and Libyan officials.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
Nevertheless, he emerged as an apparent new-ball heir to James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England's two most successful bowlers of all time.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
His wife, Jane Lauder, is an heir to the Estée Lauder fortune.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
“There’s no question that Donald Jr. wants to have a future in the Republican Party and sees himself as the heir apparent,” Coppins told the Times of London in 2020.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
It was for all of this that she was paying now, and it was this pride, hatred, bitterness, lust—this folly, this corruption—of which her son was heir.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
