heir

[ air ]
/ ɛər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR heir ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who inherits or has a right of inheritance in the property of another following the latter's death.
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.
a person who inherits or is entitled to inherit the rank, title, position, etc., of another.
a person or group considered as inheriting the tradition, talent, etc., of a predecessor.

verb (used with object)

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

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of heir

1225–75; Middle English eir, heir < Old French < Latin hērēd- (stem of hērēs); akin to Greek chêros bereaved

OTHER WORDS FROM heir

heir·less, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH heir

air e'er ere err heir

Words nearby heir

heinlein, heinous, heinrich, heinz, heinz-ehrlich body, heir, heir apparent, heir at law, heir presumptive, heir-at-law, heirdom
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to heir

beneficiary, scion, successor, inheritor, devisee, heritor, grantee

Example sentences from the Web for heir

British Dictionary definitions for heir

heir
/ (ɛə) /

noun

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
any person or thing that carries on some tradition, circumstance, etc, from a forerunner
an archaic word for offspring

Derived forms of heir

heirless, adjective

Word Origin for heir

C13: from Old French, from Latin hērēs; related to Greek khēros bereaved
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012