heir
[noun]
Synonyms: successor, beneficiary, heiress (fem.), inheritor, next in line

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

heir /eə $ er/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin heres]

1. the person who has the legal right to receive the property or title of another person when they die
heir to
John was the sole heir to a vast estate.
heir to the throne (=the person who will become king or queen)

2. the person who will take over a position or job after you, or who does things or thinks in a similar way to you:
Jonson was his political heir as leader of the Nationalist Party.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

heir
noun
ADJ. lawful, legal, legitimate, rightful the rightful heir to the throne
natural, real, true The socialists saw themselves as true heirs of the Enlightenment.
direct When the Earl of Surrey died in 1347 he left no direct heir.
immediate | designated | apparent, presumptive (both only after heir) On his brother's death he became heir apparent to the title.
sole | female, male | political, spiritual The house was her spiritual home for which she sought a spiritual heir.
VERB + HEIR have He has no heir to leave his fortune to.
beget, get, produce He planned to marry and produce an heir for his estate.
became, fall At the age of twenty he fell heir to a large estate.
PREP. ~ to He is the sole heir to a large mining fortune.
PHRASES the heir to the throne, sb's son and heir He left most of his property to his eldest son and heir.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲