noun
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a person or thing that follows, esp a person who succeeds another in an office
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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 The successor takes over when someone gives up a position or title or when something becomes outdated.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.
Vocabulary lists containing successor
The Giver
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"The Hill We Climb," by Amanda Gorman
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The City of Ember
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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.
His successor, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated by President Joe Biden, once clerked for Breyer and is similar to him ideologically.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
Prices of popular memory kits like DDR4 and its bandwidth-boosting successor the DDR5 have shot up accordingly.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026
His successor as CEO decided to move the headquarters to Dallas.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
The Lancashire club approached the FAW with a view to appointing Bellamy as successor to Scott Parker, who was sacked in April.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
She resumed editing the community newsletter because her successor gave it up.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
