heir at law
/ˈɛr ət ˌlɔ/
noun
- A person who is legally entitled to inherit the property or title of someone who has died without leaving a will.
- When the duke died without a will, his eldest son became the heir-at-law.
- The court determined that the distant cousin was the heir-at-law to the estate.
- As the only surviving child, she was declared the heir-at-law of her father's farm.
Synonyms