heir apparent

American  

[air uh-pair-uhnt, uh-par-] / ˈɛər əˈpɛər ənt, əˈpær- /

noun

• heirs apparent
  plural

1. an heir whose right is indefeasible, provided they survive their ancestor.

2. a person whose succession to a position appears certain.

   His popularity makes him the chief 's heir apparent.

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heir apparent British  

noun

1. property law a person whose right to succeed to certain property cannot be defeated, provided such person survives his ancestor Compare heir presumptive

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• heir apparency
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heirs apparent
  plural

Etymology

Origin of heir apparent

First recorded in 1325–75 Middle English

Compare meaning

How does heir-apparent compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• heir apparent vs. heir presumptive

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heir apparent

Rams rookie Ty Simpson says is doing all he can to speed up his development as Matthew Stafford’s heir apparent at starting quarterback.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Then, the hosts discuss succession at JPMorgan now that CEO Jamie Dimon’s latest heir apparent, Marianne Lake, has left the company.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

Vinicius Junior is the one they look to now, the heir apparent, the winger most likely to propel them forward.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Four years ago, Mbappé returned, this time as the heir apparent to Messi and Ronaldo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Instead the Fowl heir apparent crossed to the monitor wall and followed developments from there.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Related Words

• crown prince