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Synonyms

heir

American  
[air] / ɛər /

noun

  1. a person who inherits or has a right of inheritance in the property of another following the latter's death.

  2. Law.

    1. (in common law) a person who inherits all the property of a deceased person, as by descent, relationship, will, or legal process.

    2. Civil Law. a person who legally succeeds to the place of a deceased person and assumes the rights and obligations of the deceased, as the liabilities for debts or the possessory rights to property.

  3. a person who inherits or is entitled to inherit the rank, title, position, etc., of another.

  4. a person or group considered as inheriting the tradition, talent, etc., of a predecessor.

verb (used with object)

  1. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. to inherit; succeed to.

heir British  
/ ɛə /

noun

  1. civil law the person legally succeeding to all property of a deceased person, irrespective of whether such person died testate or intestate, and upon whom devolves as well as the rights the duties and liabilities attached to the estate

  2. any person or thing that carries on some tradition, circumstance, etc, from a forerunner

  3. an archaic word for offspring

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • heirless adjective

Etymology

Origin of heir

1225–75; Middle English eir, heir < Old French < Latin hērēd- (stem of hērēs ); akin to Greek chêros bereaved

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Magnani-Rocca Foundation contains the art collection of musicologist and art critic Luigi Magnani, the heir to a dairy fortune.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

He set his sights on Greenland, apparently at the behest of a cosmetics heir pal.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Such transfers are often yearslong processes to minimize tax consequences and help their heir adjust to their new role.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026

Individuals can also avoid capital-gains taxes if they pass property to an heir after death, or if they choose to borrow against their assets to realize gains instead of selling them.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

But in the days of Bilbo, and of Frodo his heir, they suddenly became, by no wish of their own, both important and renowned, and troubled the counsels of the Wise and the Great.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.