the coming of one person or thing after another in order, sequence, or in the course of events: many troubles in succession.
a number of persons or things following one another in order or sequence.
the right, act, or process, by which one person succeeds to the office, rank, estate, or the like, of another.
the order or line of those entitled to succeed one another.
the descent or transmission of a throne, dignity, estate, or the like.
Also called ecological succession.Ecology. the progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established.
Origin of succession
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin successiōn- (stem of successiō) “a following (someone) in office,” equivalent to success(us), past participle of succēdere “to succeed” (see succeed) + -iōn--ion
succès de scandale, succès d'estime, succès fou, success, successful, succession, succession of crops, succession state, successive, successor, success story
The last week has seen a succession of US launch attempts canceled for issues primarily related to ground systems.
SpaceX, Northrop seek to break launch gremlin curse with Friday night attempts|Eric Berger|October 2, 2020|Ars Technica
It’s the biggest test for American democracy — and for Kostyukov, whose two immediate predecessors died in quick succession amid rumors Vladimir Putin wasn’t happy.
Sunday Magazine: The Deciders|Daniel Malloy|September 13, 2020|Ozy
Brazilian fashion retailer Dafiti has limped along through a succession of down rounds.
The humbling of Europe’s most-hyped startup incubator: Rocket Internet|Jeremy Kahn|September 1, 2020|Fortune
A succession of climate cases are now working their way through American courts.
Kamala Harris’s persistent decade of duking it out with oil companies|Michael J. Coren|August 14, 2020|Quartz
This could continue to happen, opening us up to a succession of new, potentially lethal diseases.
How to cope as COVID-19 imposes social distancing|Sheila Mulrooney Eldred|March 23, 2020|Science News For Students
When, in succession, he made Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963).
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I was at first on a cot, and then in a succession of accommodations,” he says.
The Pastor Who Scandalized His Town|Lloyd Grove|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
TR reinvigorated the office after a succession of grey presidents with his unself-conscious energy, idealism and determination.
From The Square Deal to The New Deal: The Overlapping Political Identities of TR and FDR|John Avlon|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At one point in this show, a variation of this happened, in succession.
Butts, ‘Bang Bang’ & Beyoncé: The Craziest MTV Video Music Awards Moments|Kevin Fallon|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Long before his immigration comments, the Governor punched through a succession of liberal hot-buttons: Marriage equality?
For 2016, Take Martin O’Malley Seriously|Jonathan Miller|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Here the mind passes in succession from the action of Lartius to that of Herminius and that of Horatius.
The Ontario High School Reader|A.E. Marty
Every march was a succession of steep ascents and then equally steep descents into narrow valleys.
My Experiences in Manipur and the Naga Hills|James Johnstone
Perhaps I'm depressed too, because to-day has been a succession of petty squabbles, and I hate squabbling.
The Bacillus of Beauty|Harriet Stark
She missed three questions in succession, and was told that she must remain after school for a special study session.
The Secret Pact|Mildred A. Wirt
By alliteration is meant the succession of two or more words whose initial sounds are identical or very similar.
Rhymes and Meters|Horatio Winslow
British Dictionary definitions for succession
succession
/ (səkˈsɛʃən) /
noun
the act or an instance of one person or thing following another
a number of people or things following one another in order
the act, process, or right by which one person succeeds to the office, etc, of another
the order that determines how one person or thing follows another
a line of descent to a title, etc
ecologythe sum of the changes in the composition of a community that occur during its development towards a stable climax community
in successionin a manner such that one thing is followed uninterruptedly by another
Derived forms of succession
successional, adjectivesuccessionally, adverb
Word Origin for succession
C14: from Latin successio, from succēdere to succeed
The gradual replacement of one type of ecological community by another in the same area, involving a series of orderly changes, especially in the dominant vegetation. Succession is usually initiated by a significant disturbance of an existing community. Each succeeding community modifies the physical environment, as by introducing shade or changing the fertility or acidity of the soil, creating new conditions that benefit certain species and inhibit others until a climax community is established.♦ The sequential development of plant and animal communities in an area in which no topsoil exists, as on a new lava flow, is called primary succession.♦ The development of such communities in an area that has been disturbed but still retains its topsoil, as in a burned-over area, is called secondary succession. See more at climax community.