heir apparent
Americannoun
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an heir whose right is indefeasible, provided they survive their ancestor.
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a person whose succession to a position appears certain.
His popularity makes him the chief 's heir apparent.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heir apparent
First recorded in 1325–75 Middle English
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Haftar, 82, and his sons -- including Saddam, his heir apparent -- will attend the display of firepower on May 19, along with foreign and Libyan officials.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
So their muted reactions Thursday might have been out of sensitivity, warranted or not, to not upset Stafford after drafting his heir apparent in the first round.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
I had an informal meeting with him in the UK recently and I asked him then whether he really was heir apparent to the Apple throne.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
He’d eschewed the family business to practice law in San Antonio but came back after his brother James, Dick’s heir apparent, died unexpectedly in 2015 at age 34.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
Robby Edmondson’s tenth-grade sister and heir apparent, Lindsay, puts microphones on the cast and does sound checks.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
