successor

American  

[suhk-ses-er] / səkˈsɛs ər /

noun

• successors
  plural

1. a person or thing that succeeds or follows.

2. a person who succeeds another in an office, position, or the like.

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successor British  

/ səkˈsɛsə /

noun

1. a person or thing that follows, esp a person who succeeds another in an office

2. logic the element related to a given element by a serial ordering, esp the natural number next larger to a given one. The successor of n is n + 1, usually written Sn or n′

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• successoral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• successors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of successor

1250–1300; < Latin, equivalent to succed-, variant stem of succēdere to succeed + -tor -tor, with dt > ss; replacing Middle English successour < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Explanation

If you are successor to the throne, that means you're next in line when the current royal has to step down. The successor takes over when someone gives up a position or title or when something becomes outdated. The noun successor was first used in the 13th century to mean "one who comes after." It's often used in reference to a royal court, where the successor is usually the king's eldest son. If something happens to the U.S. president, the vice president is the designated successor and will assume the position of head of government. It seems like every day there's a new and improved computer, a successor that replaces an earlier model.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

successor successors

Hastert served in the House from 1987 until 2007 and became speaker after the turbulent departure of fellow Republican Newt Gingrich and the withdrawal of Gingrich's intended successor, Bob Livingston.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Cutting loose McDaniel would be expensive, too, and there’s no clear successor waiting in the wings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

The country banned trophy hunting in 2014 under former President Ian Khama but lifted the restrictions five years later under his successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

If you fill your successor trustee list with family members and the trust keeps going for decades, you may run into a longevity issue.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

That example is straightforward, but consider this one: the apostle Peter had authority over the Church; the pope is Peter’s successor; therefore the pope has authority over the Church.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

This ongoing Lorne Watch, with predictions of his retirement and potential successors, began around Season 40 and continues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

A ceiling on computing power, fewer frontier training runs or limits on AI systems designing their successors would strike much closer to the semiconductor industry.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Early in the summer, the AI industry said it was close to having machines capable enough to train their successors, a potential first step to losing control of them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Engelsman says all three former presenters were supportive of their successors and "were very paternal and caring about it".

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Thus it is important to see that when we hail Theodoric as an important scientist our judgement is essentially anachronistic: he did not seem important to his contemporaries or successors, and his influence is negligible.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• replacement