heir apparent

noun

plural heirs apparent

Definition of heir apparent

1 : an heir whose right to an inheritance is indefeasible except by exclusion under a valid will if he or she survives the ancestor

2 : heir presumptive

3 : one whose succession especially to a position or role appears certain under existing circumstances

Examples of heir apparent in a Sentence

The coach named her assistant as her heir apparent.

Recent Examples on the Web

The franchise still views Lock as their quarterback of the future, however currently unrefined, and heir apparent to Joe Flacco. — Kyle Fredrickson, The Denver Post, "Denver Broncos rookie profiles: Who are these guys?," 2 Sep. 2019 On Monday, Quintero was one of the first to greet Chacon, who could be seen as Quintero’s heir apparent at the central attacking midfield role. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Loons will be missing three starters for Thursday’s game at Kansas City," 20 Aug. 2019 Morgan Stanley’s second-in-command, Colm Kelleher, is retiring, opening a seat whose filling will signal the Wall Street firm’s likely heir apparent. — Liz Hoffman, WSJ, "Morgan Stanley’s No. 2 Executive to Retire," 28 Mar. 2019 Their firstborn, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is Norway’s heir apparent. — Michael Joseph Gross, Town & Country, "How Commoners Are Saving the Royal Families of Europe," 17 Jan. 2018 The Astros get starting pitching for the third year in a row and get an heir apparent should Cole leave this offseason as a free agent. — Jeremy Cluff, azcentral, "MLB trade deadline grades: Zack Greinke trade gets rave reviews for Arizona Diamondbacks," 31 July 2019 North Korea is so hermetic that foreign intelligence agencies were not sure Mr. Kim was heir apparent until a few years before the death of his secretive and dour father. — Choe Sang-hun, New York Times, "North Korean Leader, Known for His Bluster, Reveals Diplomatic Skills," 7 Mar. 2018 Jackson’s heir apparent will be a third-year sophomore in 2018. — Jake Lourim, The Courier-Journal, "Who is Louisville's next quarterback? Meet Jawon Pass, Lamar Jackson's likely successor," 5 Jan. 2018 Garoppolo is back and healthy once again, yet there is little buzz surrounding the man who was once Tom Brady’s heir apparent. — Dr. Roto, SI.com, "Fantasy Football: 10 Bounceback Candidates For 2019," 9 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heir apparent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.