heir

American  

[air] / ɛər /

noun

• heirs
  plural

1. a person who inherits or has a right of inheritance in the property of another following the latter's death.

2. Law.

   1. (in common law) a person who inherits all the property of a deceased person, as by descent, relationship, will, or legal process.

   2. 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.

3. a person who inherits or is entitled to inherit the rank, title, position, etc., of another.

4. a person or group considered as inheriting the tradition, talent, etc., of a predecessor.

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verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. to inherit; succeed to.

heir British  

/ ɛə /

noun

1. 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

2. any person or thing that carries on some tradition, circumstance, etc, from a forerunner

3. an archaic word for offspring

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• heirless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heirs
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heir heirs

Yet the formidable English army of kinsman Malcolm, rightful heir to murdered King Duncan, approached Dunsinane using branches from Birnam Wood as camouflage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

During the draft, the Rams passed on the opportunity to select former USC receiver Makai Lemon and opted instead to pick Simpson, Stafford’s heir apparent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Rams rookie Ty Simpson says is doing all he can to speed up his development as Matthew Stafford’s heir apparent at starting quarterback.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The comparisons to Messi are inevitable and the stats suggest Lamine Yamal is on his way to becoming a worthy heir to the player many consider the greatest ever.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

All the grandfather's Caribbean fondness for a male heir and for fair Nordic looks had surfaced.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

That means your heirs, if they wish to sell them, would owe capital-gains tax only on any appreciation above the market value on your date of death.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

That means a couple that has transferred their primary home to a revocable trust—a move often made to help heirs avoid probate—should be exempt from the tax.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

“People who are 60 can live to 85. People are highly likely to want to bequeath their portfolio to children — and those heirs might have 30 to 40 years until retirement.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

If she qualified for Medicaid, there likely won’t be much probate estate available to creditors or heirs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

The heirs listened to the lawyer read the next document, but their eyes stayed fixed on table eight's answer: Otis Amber.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Related Words

• beneficiary
• inheritor
• scion
• successor