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Synonyms

heiress

American  
[air-is] / ˈɛər ɪs /

noun

  1. a woman who inherits or has a right of inheritance, especially a woman who has inherited or will inherit considerable wealth.

heiress British  
/ ˈɛərɪs /

noun

  1. a woman who inherits or expects to inherit great wealth

  2. property law a female heir

"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

Gender

See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of heiress

First recorded in 1650–60; heir + -ess

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.

Last year, Fortune India magazine referred to her as "Heiress on Duty" at Reliance, ranking her as the 21st most powerful woman in India.

From Reuters • Apr. 26, 2022

Heiress to a significant territory, she first wed the king of France, and then, when the marriage was annulled in 1152, remarried Henry Plantagenet two months later.

From Washington Post • Nov. 24, 2021

She went on to major dramatic roles in The Snake Pit in 1948 and in The Heiress a year later, for which she won a second Oscar.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2020

The striking brunette won best actress Oscars for "The Heiress" and "To Each His Own" in the late 1940s, and was Oscar-nominated for "Gone With the Wind," "The Snake Pit" and "Hold Back the Dawn."

From Salon • Jul. 26, 2020

Heiress to the island, the fortune, and the expectations.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

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.