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Noun: heir apparent (heirs apparent)  ehr u'per-unt [N. Amer], ehr u'pa-runt [Brit]
  1. An heir whose right to an inheritance cannot be defeated if that person outlives the ancestor
    "The prince was the heir apparent to the throne"

Derived forms: heirs apparent

Type of: distributee [US], heir, heritor, inheritor

Antonym: heir presumptive

Encyclopedia: Heir apparent