• (America) enPR: âr, IPA: /ɛəɹ/

1. Someone who inherits, or is designated to inherit, the property of another.
   • c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene i]:

     I am my father's heir and only son.

2. One who inherits, or has been designated to inherit, a hereditary title or office.
3. A successor in a role, representing continuity with the predecessor.
   • 1725, Homer; [Elijah Fenton], transl., “Book I”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume I, London: Printed for Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646 ↗:

     And I his heir in misery alone.

   • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter I, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326 ↗:

     "I wish we were back in Tenth Street. But so many children came […] and the Tenth Street house wasn't half big enough; and a dreadful speculative builder built this house and persuaded Austin to buy it. Oh, dear, and here we are among the rich and great; and the steel kings and copper kings and oil kings and their heirs and dauphins. […]"

• (one who inherits property) beneficiary (law), inheritor
• (one who inherits title) inheritor
• (successor in a role) See also Thesaurus:successor

• French: héritier, héritière
• German: Erbe
• Italian: erede
• Portuguese: herdeiro
• Russian: насле́дник
• Spanish: heredero

• French: héritier, héritière
• German: Thronerbe
• Italian: erede
• Portuguese: herdeiro
• Russian: прее́мник
• Spanish: heredero

• French: héritier, héritière, successeur
• Italian: erede, successore
• Portuguese: sucessor, herdeiro
• Russian: прее́мник
• Spanish: sucesor

heir (heirs, present participle heiring; past and past participle heired)

1. (ambitransitive) To inherit.
   • 1950, quoted in Our Garst family in America (page 27)

     […] Leonard Houtz & John Myer to be executors to this my last will & testament & lastly my children shall heir equally, one as much as the other.