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
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
The doc lifts the lid on the creation of the legendary studio, a former nightclub which had played host to Chuck Berry and BB King before its reincarnation into the recording home of the heir apparent to the guitar god throne.
—
Callum McLennan, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Eight years later, following your big show in Florence, some people have been mentioning you as the heir apparent to your old boss, Ralph Lauren.
—Josh Condon, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2024
Prince of Wales has been given to the heir apparent to the English throne since the early 1300s.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024
Even Peltz’s top deputies are fleeing in droves, with former heir apparent and son-in-law Ed Garden no longer on speaking terms with Peltz after leaving the firm and acknowledging the business model is broken.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Her husband, Prince William, the heir apparent to the British throne, has continued to carry out his public duties and was spotted with her over the weekend, but has deflected questions about his wife’s health.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
In it, Middleton’s brother-in-law writes about how he was sacrificed to the British tabloids to distract from stories that might have made his father (King Charles) or his brother (Prince William, heir apparent) look bad.
—Alex Cranz, The Verge, 11 Mar. 2024
Buffett, 93, named Greg Abel, 61, as his heir apparent in 2021.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024
Blackstone President Jon Gray, Schwarzman’s heir apparent, got $266.4 million in 2023, a decrease from $479.2 million a year earlier.
—Dawn Lim, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2024
Callum McLennan, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Eight years later, following your big show in Florence, some people have been mentioning you as the heir apparent to your old boss, Ralph Lauren.
—Josh Condon, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2024
Prince of Wales has been given to the heir apparent to the English throne since the early 1300s.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024
Even Peltz’s top deputies are fleeing in droves, with former heir apparent and son-in-law Ed Garden no longer on speaking terms with Peltz after leaving the firm and acknowledging the business model is broken.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Her husband, Prince William, the heir apparent to the British throne, has continued to carry out his public duties and was spotted with her over the weekend, but has deflected questions about his wife’s health.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
In it, Middleton’s brother-in-law writes about how he was sacrificed to the British tabloids to distract from stories that might have made his father (King Charles) or his brother (Prince William, heir apparent) look bad.
—Alex Cranz, The Verge, 11 Mar. 2024
Buffett, 93, named Greg Abel, 61, as his heir apparent in 2021.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024
Blackstone President Jon Gray, Schwarzman’s heir apparent, got $266.4 million in 2023, a decrease from $479.2 million a year earlier.
—Dawn Lim, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heir apparent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near heir apparent
Cite this Entry
“Heir apparent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heir%20apparent. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share