Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

heir apparent

See more synonyms for heir apparent on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural heirs apparent.
  1. an heir whose right is indefeasible, provided he or she survives the ancestor.
  2. a person whose succession to a position appears certain: His popularity makes him the chief's heir apparent.
Show More

Origin of heir apparent

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75
Related formsheir apparency, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for heir apparent

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The heir-apparent, the late King, admired his talent and relished his society.

    In the Heart of Vosges

    Matilda Betham-Edwards

  • The heir-apparent was privileged to support two, and the third from the king but one.

  • In April, 1502, at the age of ten, Henry became the heir-apparent to the English throne.

    Henry VIII.

    A. F. Pollard

  • That chief was, therefore, brother-in-law to the king, and uncle to the heir-apparent.

    Captain Cook

    W.H.G. Kingston

  • You see it's about time to select an heir-apparent for Brockhurst.

British Dictionary definitions for heir apparent

heir apparent

noun plural heirs apparent
  1. property law a person whose right to succeed to certain property cannot be defeated, provided such person survives his ancestorCompare heir presumptive
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012