successor

noun

Definition of successornext
as in replacement
a person who has a job, position, or title after someone else; someone who succeeds another person The CEO's successor used to be the vice president here. the successor to the throne

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of successor Cook’s successor John Ternus will step up as CEO on September 1. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 July 2026 This fiscal drag comes at the moment when Lusaka and the IMF are due to agree on a successor Extended Credit Facility program. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 29 July 2026 One civilization has had the kind of life energy seep out of it and is giving way to a new and successor civilization that will be guided by different rules and different values. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026 Comings + Goings Grocery retailer Albertsons announced that its president and chief financial officer Sharon McCollam plans to step down, and will remain in her position while a search is conducted and a successor is named. — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for successor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for successor
  1. replacement
  2. deputy
  3. assistant
  4. representative
  5. attorney
  6. substitute
  7. agent
  8. stand-in
Noun
  • The fear of a $30,000 battery replacement was a major disincentive.
    — James Morris, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The company's window replacement quotes are often significantly more affordable than those from specialized competitors.
    — Jason Rueger, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of replacement
Noun
  • Experts like Chen Gang, the deputy director and senior research fellow at NUS East Asian Institute, are positive that this momentum will lead to long-term gains for Chinese chipmakers.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Because of Micron’s corporate structure, the company needed to take the exemption two times, requiring it to pay on a maximum of $800 million in assessed value, according to Brad Smith, chief deputy at the Ada County Assessor’s Office.
    — Mark Dee August 2, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of deputy
Noun
  • At Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, assistant music professor Benjamin Guerrero is co-teaching a class next year with a computer scientist.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Gainesville quickly lured Grayson’s coach, Santavious Bryant, a former Gainesville assistant, as Niblett’s replacement.
    — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of assistant
Noun
  • The deadline comes through a provision in the state budget that requires any municipality whose representative voted to end the project to repay $60 million that was spent on preliminary design and engineering.
    — DJ Simmons August 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Nurses will also be at all schools to monitor students' health concerns, and district representatives are going door-to-door to check on affected students.
    — Joy Benedict, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of representative
Noun
  • The governor now picks one of three finalists named by a nominating commission controlled by attorneys.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The county attorney presented a plan to sue several big pharma companies for the deceptive marketing practices that triggered the opioid epidemic, following the pattern established by lawsuits filed against tobacco companies starting in the 1990s.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of attorney
Noun
  • But the blustery autumn wind is no substitute for the cozy rays of a summer sun.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
  • Pitulic was employed as a long-term substitute at GCISD since January 2023 and frequently subbed for teachers at Dove Elementary.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 July 2026
Definition of substitute
Noun
  • Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers — work increasingly done by AI agents — and college enrollment in computer and information science programs has been declining.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Smaller teams of high-agency engineers and builders are managing fleets of agents rather than executing every task by hand.
    — Michael Wee, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of agent
Noun
  • SpongeBob is the obvious stand-in for Odysseus, while King Neptune fills the role of Poseidon, the vengeful god of the sea.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 18 July 2026
  • Its main subject seems to be Tim’s malaise—and, perhaps, a broader contemporary malaise for which Tim’s is meant to be a stand-in.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Definition of stand-in

Browse Nearby Words

successively
successor
successors
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Successor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/successor. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on successor

Nglish: Translation of successor for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All