presumptive heir
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of presumptive heir
First recorded in 1620–30
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.
King Viserys Targaryen’s younger brother and presumptive heir — or so he believes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2022
Reagan was the presumptive heir to Goldwater’s legacy, according to historians.
From Fox News ● Aug. 20, 2020
Mahathir Mohamad, the 94-year-old prime minister of Malaysia, and his perennial presumptive heir, Anwar Ibrahim, joined forces in 2018 to oust a governing party to which both had once belonged.
From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2020
For years, she was viewed within the party as a presumptive heir to the multiracial coalition that twice lifted the first black president to the White House.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 1, 2019
As her favorite nephew, Bertie was Aunt Agatha's presumptive heir.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
![]()
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.