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Showing results for heir apparent. Search instead for heir+apparency.
Synonyms

heir apparent

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

noun

plural

heirs apparent

  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.
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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • heir apparency noun

Etymology

Origin of heir apparent

First recorded in 1325–75 Middle English

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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.