Successor: meaning, definitions and examples

Used in formal or professional settings to denote someone who follows another in a role, position, or office.

• The board of directors announced John as the new successor to the CEO.
• After many years of service, the owner finally appointed a successor to take over the business.

Refers to someone who follows another person, often in a social, political, or religious context. It does not necessarily imply taking over a role or position.

• The leader's followers gathered to listen to his speech.
• She has thousands of followers on social media.

Typically used in a legal or familial context to denote someone who is designated to inherit a position, title, or property.

• He is the heir to a vast fortune.
• The prince was declared the heir to the throne.

Informal phrase used to indicate the person who is expected or designated to follow someone in sequence or order.

• Mary is next in line for a promotion in the company.
• After the king, the prince is next in line for the throne.

Use this word when referring to a person or entity that follows another in a position, office, or role.

• The company's new CEO is the successor to a long line of family leadership.
• The successor to the king was announced during the grand ceremony.

This term is common in computer science and data structures, particularly when describing elements in a linked list or tree.

• In a linked list, each element points to the next node.
• The algorithm traverses the graph to visit the next node.

Also related to computer programming, this term refers to a variable that stores the address of another variable.

• A pointer in C++ can point to the memory address of an integer.
• Proper handling of pointers is crucial to avoid segmentation faults.

Use this word when referring to a person who follows another in a position, office, or role.

• She is the likely successor to the company's CEO.
• After the retirement of the principal, his appointed successor took over.

This word is appropriate when talking about something or someone that takes the place of another.

• We need to find a replacement for the broken window.
• John is the replacement teacher for Mr. Smith.

Use this word when describing something that follows in time or order.

• The subsequent chapters of the book reveal more details about the character's past.
• His actions in the subsequent days were surprising.