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Succeed vs Successor - What's the difference?

succeed | successor |

As a verb succeed

is to follow in order; to come next after; hence, to take the place of.

As a noun successor is

a person or thing that immediately follows another in holding an office or title.

succeed

English

Alternative forms

* succede (dated)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To follow in order; to come next after; hence, to take the place of.
    • The king's eldest son succeeds his father on the throne.
    Autumn succeeds summer.
  • To obtain the object desired; to accomplish what is attempted or intended; to have a prosperous issue or termination; to be successful.
  • (obsolete, rare) To fall heir to; to inherit.
    • So, if the issue of the elder son succeed before the younger, I am king.
  • To come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • Destructive effects succeeded the curse.
  • * 1919 ,
    • Her arms were like legs of mutton, her breasts like giant cabbages; her face, broad and fleshy, gave you an impression of almost indecent nakedness, and vast chin succeeded to vast chin.
  • To support; to prosper; to promote.
  • * Dryden
    • Succeed my wish and second my design.
  • To come in the place of another person, thing, or event; to come next in the usual, natural, or prescribed course of things; to follow; hence, to come next in the possession of anything; -- often with to.
  • # To ascend the throne after the removal the death of the occupant.
  • To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve.
  • To go under cover.

    • Antonyms

    * (follow in order) precede * fail, fall on one's face

    Derived terms

    * nothing succeeds like success * succedent * succeedingly

    Related terms

    * success * succession * successive

    successor

    English

    (wikipedia successor)

    Alternative forms

    * successour (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A person or thing that immediately follows another in holding an office or title.
    • George W. Bush was successor to Bill Clinton as President of the US.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 5 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=As Di Matteo celebrated and captain John Terry raised the trophy for the fourth time, the Italian increased his claims to become the permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas by landing a trophy.}}
  • The next heir in order or succession.
  • A person who inherits a title or office.
  • (arithmetic, set theory) The integer, ordinal number or cardinal number immediately following another.

    • Synonyms

    * (l) (uncommon)

    Antonyms

    * predecessor