heir apparent

noun

plural heirs apparent

1

: an heir whose right to an inheritance is indefeasible except by exclusion under a valid will if he or she survives the ancestor

2

: heir presumptive

3

: one whose succession especially to a position or role appears certain under existing circumstances

Examples of heir apparent in a Sentence

The coach named her assistant as her heir apparent.

Recent Examples on the Web

But just who is the man Sandler jokingly identified as heir apparent to the sketch comedy institution? —EW.com, 17 Feb. 2025

In the general election of 2016, Trump went after President Barack Obama as a way to challenge heir apparent and Democratic nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton. —David Jackson, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2024

The Sharks do not have an obvious heir apparent as a right-shot top pair defenseman. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025

The heir apparent was his older brother Bassel—a military commander and an accomplished horseman whom the regime’s loyalists sometimes referred to as the Golden Knight. —Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

heir apparent

noun

plural heirs apparent

: an heir whose right to succeed (as to a throne) cannot be taken away if he or she outlives the present holder

Legal Definition

heir apparent

see heir