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

Real Madrid’s Mbappé is the most obvious heir apparent to the mantle of “greatest in the game.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

You don’t get to decide after the fact that an heir will disclaim their shares so that another sibling gets the entire IRA.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026

The Royal Family reserves the Prince of Wales title for the heir apparent to the British throne, in a centuries-old tradition.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Harry reportedly remains estranged from Prince William, his brother and heir to the throne, and William's wife Catherine.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

It was like Peach knew she was the heir to the throne and had arrived to claim her tiara.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

Even when there are direct heirs involved, they might not be up to the arduous administrative task of being a trustee or executor after the death of the principal.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

Baum and other heirs, meanwhile, spent years navigating complex restitution claims for expropriated properties and assets.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Most non-spouse heirs of traditional IRAs have 10 years to withdraw the funds, and some must take annual RMDs during that period.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

In July two heirs shared a letter with the company’s board of directors and family members, warning that Brown-Forman was in crisis, and that generational wealth has melted away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"It's from that lawyer Plum. Says all the heirs gotta be at the Westing house this Saturday night. Sign here."

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Related Words

• beneficiary
• inheritor
• scion
• successor