1
as in series
a series of things, people, events, or actions arranged or happening one after another
He experienced a succession of car repairs that set him back thousands of dollars.
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2
as in lineages
the order of people in a family
The prince is third in the line of succession to the throne.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of successions
Plant additional successions of sunflowers every week or two to enjoy blooms later in the summer.
—
Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
Everyone—prospective leaders, the target company, the investors and the local community—can benefit from this approach, according to YMFG Capital, which has orchestrated 12 business successions so far.
—Japan Contributor, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
For authoritarian regimes, survival is uncertain, and never more so than during inescapable successions.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
Everyone—prospective leaders, the target company, the investors and the local community—can benefit from this approach, according to YMFG Capital, which has orchestrated 12 business successions so far.
—Japan Contributor, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
For authoritarian regimes, survival is uncertain, and never more so than during inescapable successions.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for successions
Noun
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At the Yale University Art Gallery, which is showing the complete series in the photographer’s largest exhibition yet, the images are hung in tall, orderly grids, like a periodic table of the human elements.—
Max Norman,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
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Nadal follows the likes of Naomi Osaka, Carlos Alcaraz, Roger Federer and Serena Williams in documenting his career and its end, but he is not listed as a producer on the series.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Noun
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Genetic evidence suggests those dogs’ lineages might go back even further—at least to the end of the Late Pleistocene period, approximately 12,000 years ago.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
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Last week, the fellows presented their culturally sustainable materials that center Black community histories and lineages for young learners ages 3-7.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The tuition payments may be a gift presented without strings, but there are still plenty of reasonable expectations that come with a college education.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
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International numbers or random strings are a clear warning sign.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Hikers should be prepared for steep ascents and descents, uneven terrain, and high altitude conditions.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
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Vastnaut One includes motors positioned at the knees that help absorb impact as the foot lands, reducing the stress that typically builds up over long descents.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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One important tool in early natural-language-processing work was ranking the frequency of word sequences.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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The material, known as SAM, combines protein sequences derived from mussels, spider silk and amyloids, proteins capable of forming strong fibrous structures.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
18 May 2026
Noun
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The birth rate, or the number of births per 1,000 residents, has been declining for years, with the exception of a bump in 2021 — part of a national trend that many attribute to the pandemic.—
Sasha Allen,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
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That violence, along with forcing the closure of most of the capital’s hospitals, has left women, already facing risky births before gangs began laying siege to most neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, even more likely to die in childbirth.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Criminals looking to establish online romantic relations with lonely seniors before bleeding their bank accounts dry.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
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The leaders of both nations met for talks and said progress was made during the trip to stabilize relations, although Beijing showed little interest in getting more involved in the war with Iran.—
Grace Miserocchi,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Shapiro, one of the nation’s most popular governors, campaigned for Democrats in key House races and has been pushing for Democratic control of the state legislature.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
20 May 2026
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Instead, the outcomes of several high-profile races won’t be decided for another four weeks when the top finishers in several races meet again in a runoff election.—
Chris Joyner,
AJC.com,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Successions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/successions. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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