Standard Lemma guide

successor

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /səkˈsɛsə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /səkˈsɛsɚ/
  • /səˈsɛsɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AH0 K S EH1 S ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person or thing that immediately follows another in holding an office or title.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • George W. Bush was successor to Bill Clinton as President of the US.
  • They haven't yet named her successor.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The next heir in order or succession.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person who inherits a title or office.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The integer, ordinal number or cardinal number immediately following another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: arithmetic, mathematics, sciences, set-theory

Examples

  • A limit ordinal is not the successor of any ordinal.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a thing or person that immediately replaces something or someone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: substitute, replacement

6

noun

Meaning 6

a person who inherits some title or office

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heir

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: offspring, progeny, issue

7

noun

Meaning 7

a person who follows next in order

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was President Lincoln's successor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: replacement

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: peer, equal, match, compeer

History

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman successour, from Latin successor.

Across languages

Translations

210 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: pasardhës — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Arabic: خَلِيف (ḵalīf) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Azerbaijani: xələf — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Belarusian: насту́пнiк (nastúpnik) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Belarusian: насту́пнiца (nastúpnica) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Belarusian: засту́пнiк (zastúpnik) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Belarusian: засту́пнiца (zastúpnica) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Belarusian: перае́мнік (pjerajémnik) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Belarusian: перае́мніца (pjerajémnica) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Belarusian: спадкае́мец (spadkajémjec) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Belarusian: спадкае́мка (spadkajémka) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Bulgarian: прие́мник (priémnik) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Bulgarian: прие́мничка (priémnička) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Catalan: successor — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Catalan: successora — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 繼任者 /继任者 (jìrènzhě) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Czech: následník — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Czech: následnice — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Czech: nástupce — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Czech: nástupkyně — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Danish: efterfølger — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Dutch: opvolger — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Dutch: opvolgster — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Esperanto: posteulo — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Esperanto: sekvanto — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Finnish: seuraaja — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • French: successeur — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • French: successeuse — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • French: successrice — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Georgian: შემცვლელი (šemcvleli) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Georgian: შემდეგი (šemdegi) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Georgian: მემკვიდრე (memḳvidre) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • German: Nachfolger — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • German: Nachfolgerin — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Greek: διάδοχος (diádochos) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Ancient Greek: διάδοχος (diádokhos) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Hindi: उत्तराधिकारी (uttarādhikārī) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Indonesian: penerus — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Italian: successore — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Italian: succeditrice — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Italian: successora — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Japanese: 後任 (kōnin) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Japanese: 後継者 (kōkeisha) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Japanese: 継承者 (keishōsha) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Kazakh: ізбасар (ızbasar) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Korean: 후임자 (hu'imja) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Korean: 계승자 (gyeseungja) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Latin: successor — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Ligurian: sucesô — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Māori: whakakapi — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Māori: piki tūranga — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Māori: kairīwhi — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norn: efterman — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Bokmål: etterkommer — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Bokmål: etterfølger — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Bokmål: oppfølger — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: etterkomar — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: etterkommar — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: etterfylgjar — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: etterfølgar — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: etterfølgjar — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: oppfylgjar — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: oppfølgar — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: oppfølgjar — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ettermann — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Old English: æfterfylgend — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Old English: æftergenga — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Polish: następca — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Polish: następczyni — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Polish: sukcesor — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Polish: sukcesorka — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Portuguese: sucessor — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Portuguese: sucessora — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Romanian: succesor — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Romanian: succesoare — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Russian: прее́мник (prejémnik) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Russian: прее́мница (prejémnica) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Slovak: následník — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Slovak: následníčka — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Slovak: nástupca — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Slovak: nástupkyňa — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Slovene: naslednik — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Slovene: naslednica — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Spanish: sucesor — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Spanish: sucesora — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Spanish: postremo — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Spanish: causahabiente — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Turkish: halef — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Turkish: ardıl — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Ukrainian: спадкоє́мець (spadkojémecʹ) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Ukrainian: спадкоє́миця (spadkojémycja) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Ukrainian: насту́пник (nastúpnyk) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Ukrainian: насту́пниця (nastúpnycja) — person or thing that immediately follows another
  • Albanian: pasardhës — next heir in order or succession
  • Arabic: وَارِث (wāriṯ) — next heir in order or succession
  • Arabic: وَارِثَة (wāriṯa) — next heir in order or succession
  • Azerbaijani: varis — next heir in order or succession
  • Belarusian: насле́днік (nasljédnik) — next heir in order or succession
  • Belarusian: насле́дніца (nasljédnica) — next heir in order or succession
  • Bulgarian: насле́дник (naslédnik) — next heir in order or succession
  • Bulgarian: насле́дничка (naslédnička) — next heir in order or succession
  • Chinese Mandarin: 繼承人 /继承人 (jìchéngrén) — next heir in order or succession
  • Czech: dědic — next heir in order or succession
  • Czech: dědička — next heir in order or succession
  • Danish: efterfølger — next heir in order or succession
  • Esperanto: heredonto — next heir in order or succession
  • Finnish: seuraaja — next heir in order or succession
  • Finnish: manttelinperijä — next heir in order or succession
  • Finnish: kruununperijä — next heir in order or succession
  • French: successeur — next heir in order or succession
  • French: successeuse — next heir in order or succession
  • French: successrice — next heir in order or succession
  • Georgian: მემკვიდრე (memḳvidre) — next heir in order or succession
  • German: Nachfolger — next heir in order or succession
  • German: Nachfolgerin — next heir in order or succession
  • German: Erbe — next heir in order or succession
  • German: Erbin — next heir in order or succession
  • Greek: διάδοχος (diádochos) — next heir in order or succession
  • Ancient Greek: διάδοχος (diádokhos) — next heir in order or succession
  • Hindi: उत्तराधिकारी (uttarādhikārī) — next heir in order or succession
  • Hindi: वारिस (vāris) — next heir in order or succession
  • Indonesian: pewaris — next heir in order or succession
  • Italian: erede — next heir in order or succession
  • Japanese: 相続人 (sōzokujin) — next heir in order or succession
  • Kazakh: мұрагер (mūrager) — next heir in order or succession
  • Korean: 상속인 (sangsogin) — next heir in order or succession
  • Latin: successor — next heir in order or succession
  • Macedonian: наследник (naslednik) — next heir in order or succession
  • Macedonian: наследничка (naslednička) — next heir in order or succession
  • Māori: piki tūranga — next heir in order or succession
  • Persian: وارث (vâres) — next heir in order or succession
  • Polish: następca — next heir in order or succession
  • Polish: następczyni — next heir in order or succession
  • Polish: spadkobierca — next heir in order or succession
  • Polish: spadkobierczyni — next heir in order or succession
  • Polish: dziedzic — next heir in order or succession
  • Polish: dziedziczka — next heir in order or succession
  • Polish: sukcesor — next heir in order or succession
  • Polish: sukcesorka — next heir in order or succession
  • Portuguese: sucessor — next heir in order or succession
  • Portuguese: sucessora — next heir in order or succession
  • Russian: насле́дник (naslédnik) — next heir in order or succession
  • Russian: насле́дница (naslédnica) — next heir in order or succession
  • Serbo-Croatian: на́следнӣк — next heir in order or succession
  • Serbo-Croatian: на́сљеднӣк — next heir in order or succession
  • Serbo-Croatian: на́следница — next heir in order or succession
  • Serbo-Croatian: на́сљедница — next heir in order or succession
  • Serbo-Croatian: následnīk — next heir in order or succession
  • Serbo-Croatian: násljednīk — next heir in order or succession
  • Serbo-Croatian: následnica — next heir in order or succession
  • Serbo-Croatian: násljednica — next heir in order or succession
  • Slovak: dedič — next heir in order or succession
  • Slovak: dedička — next heir in order or succession
  • Slovene: naslednik — next heir in order or succession
  • Slovene: naslednica — next heir in order or succession
  • Tajik: ворис (voris) — next heir in order or succession
  • Thai: ผู้สืบมรดก — next heir in order or succession
  • Turkish: varis — next heir in order or succession
  • Ukrainian: наслі́дник (naslídnyk) — next heir in order or succession
  • Ukrainian: наслі́дниця (naslídnycja) — next heir in order or succession
  • Ukrainian: спадкоє́мець (spadkojémecʹ) — next heir in order or succession
  • Ukrainian: спадкоє́миця (spadkojémycja) — next heir in order or succession
  • Urdu: وارث (vāris) — next heir in order or succession
  • Uzbek: voris — next heir in order or succession
  • Azerbaijani: varis — person who inherits a title or office
  • Bulgarian: наследник (naslednik) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Bulgarian: престолонаследник (prestolonaslednik) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Esperanto: posteulo — person who inherits a title or office
  • Finnish: seuraaja — person who inherits a title or office
  • Finnish: vallanperijä — person who inherits a title or office
  • Georgian: მემკვიდრე (memḳvidre) — person who inherits a title or office
  • German: Nachfolger — person who inherits a title or office
  • German: Nachfolgerin — person who inherits a title or office
  • Greek: διάδοχος (diádochos) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Hindi: उत्तराधिकारी (uttarādhikārī) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Indonesian: pewaris — person who inherits a title or office
  • Italian: successore — person who inherits a title or office
  • Italian: succeditrice — person who inherits a title or office
  • Japanese: 後任 (kōnin) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Japanese: 後継者 (kōkeisha) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Japanese: 継承者 (keishōsha) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Kazakh: ізбасар (ızbasar) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Korean: 후임 (hu'im) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Korean: 후계자 (hugyeja) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Korean: 계승자 (gyeseungja) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Latin: successor — person who inherits a title or office
  • Māori: piki tūranga — person who inherits a title or office
  • Māori: whākapi — person who inherits a title or office
  • Occitan: successor — person who inherits a title or office
  • Polish: następca — person who inherits a title or office
  • Polish: następczyni — person who inherits a title or office
  • Portuguese: sucessor — person who inherits a title or office
  • Portuguese: sucessora — person who inherits a title or office
  • Romanian: moștenitor — person who inherits a title or office
  • Russian: насле́дник (naslédnik) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Russian: насле́дница (naslédnica) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Russian: правопрее́мник (pravoprejémnik) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Russian: правопрее́мница (pravoprejémnica) — person who inherits a title or office
  • Swedish: efterträdare — person who inherits a title or office
  • Swedish: efterföljare — person who inherits a title or office
  • Thai: ผู้สืบตําแหน่ง — person who inherits a title or office
  • Welsh: olynydd — person who inherits a title or office
  • Welsh: olynyddes — person who inherits a title or office
  • Bulgarian: наследник (naslednik) — integer or cardinal immediately following another
  • Finnish: seuraaja — integer or cardinal immediately following another
  • Hindi: परवर्ती (parvartī) — integer or cardinal immediately following another
  • Hindi: उत्तरवर्ती (uttarvartī) — integer or cardinal immediately following another
  • Icelandic: eftirfari — integer or cardinal immediately following another
  • Italian: successore — integer or cardinal immediately following another
  • Polish: następnik — integer or cardinal immediately following another
Real reading context

successor in complete knowledge articles