heir apparent

noun

|Updated on: 16 Aug 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

While the King and Queen were busy doing business abroad, their 23-year-old son Prince Hussein, the heir apparent, was hosting a royal guest of his own in Amman: Prince William.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Queen Rania of Jordan Wears Pink to Visit the White House," 25 June 2018
According to a comment from the singer’s rep to Buzzfeed, the pair of babies that Beyoncé is holding are not the heirs apparent to the Knowles-Carter dynasty.

— cady lang, Time, "Actually, Those Aren't Beyoncé's Twins in That 'OTR II' Tour Picture," 7 June 2018
But investors and analysts widely saw it as a scheme to strengthen the shareholding position of the heir apparent of Hyundai Motor Group , 47-year-old Chung Eui-sun.

— eun-young jeong, WSJ, "Hyundai Car-Parts Affiliate Calls Off Deal Opposed by U.S. Hedge Fund," 21 May 2018
Once thought to be the heir apparent in the Pistons' front-office, a rift between then-owner Bill Davidson pushed Thomas to executive vice president of the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1994.

— kirkland crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons should consider Isiah Thomas, says Charles Barkley," 8 May 2018
The Steelers, who pick 28th overall and are looking for an heir apparent for Bell, are said to be extremely high on Guice.

— jeff zrebiec, baltimoresun.com, "Guice's predraft visit doesn't mean Ravens consider RB a top need, but it doesn't hurt to look," 30 Mar. 2018
Pretty interesting to see Jeff Capel take the Pitt job one year after he was tabbed the heir apparent to Coach K at Duke.

— langston wertz jr., charlotteobserver, "Reaction: Duke assistant coach Jeff Capel heading to Pittsburgh | Charlotte Observer," 27 Mar. 2018
Seattle’s Shaquill Griffin, a third-round pick last spring, could be well on his way to becoming Richard Sherman’s heir apparent (a fifth-rounder himself) after getting tossed into the deep end during a productive rookie season.

— conor orr, SI.com, "How Specialization Could Lead to Defensive Backs Dropping in the Draft," 27 Feb. 2018
Lachlan, the elder son, has always been something of an heir apparent, even though Elisabeth, who is three years older than Lachlan, is viewed as the child most like her father.

— sarah ellison, Philly.com, "Rupert Murdoch: The media mogul says goodbye to much of the company he built," 2 July 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