succession
the coming of one person or thing after another in order, sequence, or in the course of events: many troubles in succession.
a number of persons or things following one another in order or sequence.
the right, act, or process, by which one person succeeds to the office, rank, estate, or the like, of another.
the order or line of those entitled to succeed one another.
the descent or transmission of a throne, dignity, estate, or the like.
Also called ecological succession. Ecology. the progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established.
Origin of succession
1synonym study For succession
Other words from succession
- suc·ces·sion·al, adjective
- suc·ces·sion·al·ly, adverb
- non·suc·ces·sion, noun
- non·suc·ces·sion·al, adjective
- non·suc·ces·sion·al·ly, adverb
Words Nearby succession
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use succession in a sentence
The last week has seen a succession of US launch attempts canceled for issues primarily related to ground systems.
SpaceX, Northrop seek to break launch gremlin curse with Friday night attempts | Eric Berger | October 2, 2020 | Ars TechnicaIt’s the biggest test for American democracy — and for Kostyukov, whose two immediate predecessors died in quick succession amid rumors Vladimir Putin wasn’t happy.
Brazilian fashion retailer Dafiti has limped along through a succession of down rounds.
The humbling of Europe’s most-hyped startup incubator: Rocket Internet | Jeremy Kahn | September 1, 2020 | FortuneA succession of climate cases are now working their way through American courts.
Kamala Harris’s persistent decade of duking it out with oil companies | Michael J. Coren | August 14, 2020 | QuartzThis could continue to happen, opening us up to a succession of new, potentially lethal diseases.
How to cope as COVID-19 imposes social distancing | Sheila Mulrooney Eldred | March 23, 2020 | Science News For Students
The kerfuffle began with a £200 bet, followed by several smaller bets in quick succession.
When, in succession, he made Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963).
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“I was at first on a cot, and then in a succession of accommodations,” he says.
Two 20th-century phenomena, occurring in quick succession, are the culprits.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality | Noah Caldwell | September 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTR reinvigorated the office after a succession of grey presidents with his unself-conscious energy, idealism and determination.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDR | John Avlon | September 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd then several hours at Liszt's, where one succession of concertos, fantasias, and all sorts of tremendous things are played.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayThis reading secures scarcely anything more than a succession of sights to the eye or sounds to the ear.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)The injured and indignant animal gave vent to a succession of eldritch screams.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsThe attempt failed, and was followed by a rapid succession of miscellaneous thrusts and passes in bewildering variety.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsWhen you can play it eight times in succession without missing a note, I'll be satisfied.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy Fay
British Dictionary definitions for succession
/ (səkˈsɛʃən) /
the act or an instance of one person or thing following another
a number of people or things following one another in order
the act, process, or right by which one person succeeds to the office, etc, of another
the order that determines how one person or thing follows another
a line of descent to a title, etc
ecology the sum of the changes in the composition of a community that occur during its development towards a stable climax community
in succession in a manner such that one thing is followed uninterruptedly by another
Origin of succession
1Derived forms of succession
- successional, adjective
- successionally, adverb
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
Scientific definitions for succession
[ sək-sĕsh′ən ]
The gradual replacement of one type of ecological community by another in the same area, involving a series of orderly changes, especially in the dominant vegetation. Succession is usually initiated by a significant disturbance of an existing community. Each succeeding community modifies the physical environment, as by introducing shade or changing the fertility or acidity of the soil, creating new conditions that benefit certain species and inhibit others until a climax community is established.♦ The sequential development of plant and animal communities in an area in which no topsoil exists, as on a new lava flow, is called primary succession.♦ The development of such communities in an area that has been disturbed but still retains its topsoil, as in a burned-over area, is called secondary succession. See more at climax community.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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