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

Brown arrived in Detroit for the fourth stop on the North American leg of his Breezy Bowl XX tour, which marks 20 years since Brown broke big as a teen R&B sensation — a supremely skilled singer and dancer touted then by some as a Michael Jackson heir apparent. —Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 10 Aug. 2025

Student protesters pushing Chinese political leaders to adopt liberal reforms found tacit support from Deng’s second heir apparent, Zhao Ziyang, until Deng pushed him aside and placed him under house arrest. —Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2025

Pidgeon also gives a go-for-broke performance of psychopathy that makes her heir apparent to Rebecca Gayheart in C-tier ’90s slasher Urban Legend. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2025

All this comes as Vance is viewed by some as the MAGA heir apparent to Trump ahead of the 2028 election. —Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 5 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for heir apparent

• aberrant
• declarant
• grandparent
• stepparent
• transparent
• errant
• parent
• semitransparent

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