suc ‧ ces ‧ sor AC /səkˈsesə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ success , ↑ succession , ↑ successor ; adjective : ↑ successful ≠ ↑ unsuccessful , ↑ successive ; verb : ↑ succeed ; adverb : ↑ successfully ≠ ↑ unsuccessfully ]
1 . someone who takes a job or position previously held by someone else ⇨ predecessor :
His successor died after only 15 months in office.
I’m sure she will be a worthy successor (=someone who is very good and deserves to be someone’s successor) .
successor to
her successor to the post
successor as
Sloan will be Barrett’s successor as treasurer.
2 . formal a machine, system etc that exists after another one in a process of development:
the transistor’s successor, the microchip
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a worthy successor (=someone who is good and deserves to be someone's successor)
He is proving to be a worthy successor to his father in the business.
▪ a possible/potential successor
He had been tipped as a possible successor to the president.
▪ a likely successor
Who is his most likely successor as Director of the BBC World Service?
▪ a natural successor
Murray was viewed as the natural successor to Henman as Britain's top player.
▪ an obvious successor
He doesn't have an obvious successor as leader.
▪ somebody's immediate successor (=the person who has their job or position next)
Valentinian's immediate successor, Petronius Maximus, was killed in 455.
■ verbs
▪ choose/appoint a successor
The Board met to choose his successor.
▪ find a successor
Non-executive director John Evans will act as chairman until a permanent successor is found.
▪ elect a successor
Ghanaians went to the polls to elect President Rawlings's successor.
▪ name a successor (=tell people who the successor will be)
The company is expected to name a successor for Corbett in May.
▪ be tipped as somebody's successor (=be said to be a possible or likely successor)
When Tizard was about to retire as chairman, Cockcroft was tipped as his successor.