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.
The heir to the Iron Throne is the only person who remembers the late hedge knight, which provides Ser Duncan the recognition he needs to enter the tournament.
From Los Angeles Times
So now the man once seen as the heir apparent to Tom Brady will face the legendary quarterback's eventual successor, Drake Maye, for a place in Super Bowl 60.
From BBC
The heir to the throne, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, is from Maryland and is close to Israelis.
That cohort of investors is starting to die, often leaving their heirs snarled in estate-planning red tape.
Chalamet triumphed over a three-time Globe winner who himself was once seen as an heir to leading men like Paul Newman.
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.
