successor

[suhk-ses-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that succeeds or follows.

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

successor

/ 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′

Other Word Forms

• successoral adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of successor¹

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

Example Sentences

Now Lecornu, his successor, has resigned after only 26 days in the job, blaming "partisan appetites" among coalition parties.

From BBC

Still, Nixon felt that Hoover had not been compliant enough, so in 1972 he selected Gray, a longtime friend and assistant attorney general, to be Hoover’s successor.

From Salon

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell took on most of Mr Welby's responsibilities in an interim move, and was one of the voting members of the body charged with choosing his successor.

From BBC

Is it mad on paper for Labour to be even vaguely contemplating changing their leader so soon, without an obvious strong successor, when they ran on a promise of no drama?

From BBC

They will hope to have similar success in selecting the successor to Bruins coach DeShaun Foster, who was fired earlier this month after his team started the season with three consecutive losses.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• replacement