heir apparent

noun

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: heir apparent in a Sentence

Definition of heir apparent

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

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Examples of heir apparent in a Sentence

The coach named her assistant as her heir apparent.

Recent Examples of heir apparent from the Web

Crown Princess Victoria is the heir apparent after her dad, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, meaning Princess Estelle will one day likely inherit the throne: The last baby to wear the dress before Princess Adrienne was her cousin, Prince Alexander.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "Princess Adrienne’s Christening Gown Has a Significant Meaning to the Swedish Royal Family," 13 June 2018
Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 0:00 / 0:37 Tony Casillas says Taco Charlton is the heir apparent to Tony Tolbert, er, Charles Haley?

— drew davison, star-telegram, "'Stronger, faster' Taco Charlton definitely expects more sacks in Year 2," 1 June 2018
The heir apparent to Gregg Popovich is just getting started.

— mike finger, San Antonio Express-News, "For the next Pop, nothing taken for granted," 26 May 2018
The Ravens’ selection of quarterback Lamar Jackson with the final pick of the first round seems to mean the team hopes to make Jackson the heir apparent to Joe Flacco.

— andy staples, SI.com, "After Its NFL Draft Bounceback, the Big 12 Sees an Encouraging Path Forward," 30 Apr. 2018
The powerful prince, considered the heir apparent to the Saudi throne, is expected to meet with officials from Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co. and the Walt Disney Co. studios, among other companies.

— tracy wilkinson, latimes.com, "Saudi crown prince to meet defense, entertainment executives in Los Angeles," 19 Mar. 2018
The lead of the show is arguably Jeremy Strong, playing Kendall, the most ambitious of the Roy children and the heir apparent to the throne.

— richard lawson, HWD, "HBO’s Rich-Family-in-Peril Drama Succession Has a Troubling Allure," 1 June 2018
The crown above the 'M' appears to be the one approved by a Royal Warrant of 1917 for the sons and daughters of the heir apparent.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Here's Our First Look at Meghan Markle's New Royal Monogram," 25 May 2018
These are people that will strongly resist any defenestration of the heir apparent.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Actually, Pence’s Toadying Is His Best Shot at Becoming President," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heir apparent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of heir apparent

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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HEIR APPARENT Defined for English Language Learners

heir apparent

noun

Definition of heir apparent for English Language Learners

: an heir whose right to receive money, property, or a title cannot be taken away
: a person who is very likely to have a job or position after the person who has it now leaves