Noun: heir presumptive (heirs presumptive) ehr pri'zúmp-tiv
- A person who expects to inherit but whose right can be defeated by the birth of a nearer relative
"She was the heir presumptive until her brother had a child"
Derived forms: heirs presumptive
Type of: distributee [US], heir, heritor, inheritor
Antonym: heir apparent
Encyclopedia: Heir presumptive