heiress

noun

heir·​ess ˈer-əs How to pronounce heiress (audio)
: a woman who is an heir especially to great wealth

Examples of heiress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The subject of the celebrity memoir, which grounds the novel, is the heiress of a media empire who's left to deal with a world defined by the tabloid culture her own family bred. Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025 Alice finds herself on the sleepy Little Crescent Island, hoping to interview mysterious heiress Margaret Ives. Maya Layne, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2025 Tuesday’s announcement also comes as Shari Redstone — the media heiress who holds a controlling share of National Amusements, Paramount Global’s parent company — continues to seek a merger between Paramount and David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Liam Reilly, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2025 The billionaire Democrat heiress running the Harvard Corporation made her president. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heiress

Word History

Etymology

heir entry 1 + -ess

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heiress was in 1607

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Cite this Entry

“Heiress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heiress. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

heiress

noun
heir·​ess ˈar-əs How to pronounce heiress (audio)
ˈer-
: a girl or woman who is an heir

More from Merriam-Webster on heiress

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