heiress

noun

heir·​ess ˈer-əs How to pronounce heiress (audio)
Synonyms of heiressnext
: a woman who is an heir especially to great wealth

Examples of heiress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
All the accounts of her story agree that this young heiress, named Maria de Lourdes Fernandes, witnessed the deaths of her parents; her guardian then locked her up and drove her to suicide to get her inheritance. — Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026 Wallace plays Mia, a spoiled heiress who is sent by her grandfather to Palermo, Sicily, without money or her customary luxuries, to work as a real estate agent in the family business. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 At her 2016 parole hearing, Krenwinkel described repeatedly stabbing 26-year-old coffee heiress Folger. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026 Production on Season Five is ongoing, with the new slate of episodes set to focus on Violet’s daughter Francesca, played by Hannah Dodd, and the heiress Michaela Stirling, played by Masali Baduza. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heiress

Word History

Etymology

heir entry 1 + -ess

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heiress was in 1607

Phrases Containing heiress

Rhymes for heiress

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Browse Nearby Words

heirdom
heiress
heiress apparent
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Cite this Entry

“Heiress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heiress. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

heiress

noun
heir·​ess ˈar-əs How to pronounce heiress (audio)
ˈer-
: a girl or woman who is an heir

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