presently

adverb

pres·​ent·​ly ˈpre-zᵊnt-lē 

1

a

archaic : at once

b

: without undue delay : before long

2

: at the present time : now

Usage of Presently

Both senses 1b and 2 are flourishing in current English, but many commentators have objected to sense 2. Since this sense has been in continuous use since the 15th century, it is not clear why it is objectionable. Perhaps a note in the Oxford English Dictionary (1909) that the sense has been obsolete since the 17th century in literary English is to blame, but the note goes on to observe that the sense is in regular use in most English dialects. The last citation in that dictionary is from a 1901 Leeds newspaper, written in Standard English. Sense 2 is most common in contexts relating to business and politics.

the fastest-rising welfare cost is Medicaid, presently paid by the states and cities

—William Safire

Synonyms

• anon
• before long
• by and by
• directly
• momentarily
• shortly
• soon

Examples of presently in a Sentence

I cannot attend to the matter this instant, but I will presently.

we are presently waiting in line for our turn

Recent Examples on the Web

The complaint, filed by a coalition of Democratic attorneys general, argued that if the executive order is allowed to stand, states would have to take on the cost of funding services to the children presently covered by the federal government. —Gabe Whisnant and Andrew Stanton, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025

As presently constructed, neither team appears likely to contend for an NBA championship this season, although both are expected to secure a playoff spot. —Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 18 Jan. 2025

With life expectancy rising, those presently 65 years old can expect to live nearly another 20 years, according to demographers. —Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025

Take the difficulties that are presently being experienced by Sagitec, a software development company. —John Tamny, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

presently

adverb

pres·​ent·​ly ˈprez-ᵊnt-lē 

1

archaic : at once

2

: before long : after a while

presently they arrived

3

: at the present time : now

she is presently working