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
- heirless adjective
Etymology
Origin of heir
1225–75; Middle English eir, heir < Old French < Latin hērēd- (stem of hērēs ); akin to Greek chêros bereaved
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.
Finally, even without heirs, Edward Jones advises people at your age to have an estate plan.
From MarketWatch
The former midwife was formally installed in the historic ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral in southeast England in front of around 2,000 people including heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Catherine.
From Barron's
Current dictator and Castro heir Miguel Díaz-Canel said in an address to the nation last week that Cuba is in talks with Washington.
He set his sights on Greenland, apparently at the behest of a cosmetics heir pal.
From Salon
It is an approach that has played well with Thai voters, who see him as effective and, crucially, his own man, unlike some other elite heirs.
From Barron's
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.
