president

noun

pres·​i·​dent ˈpre-zə-dənt 

ˈprez-dənt,

ˈpre-zə-ˌdent,

 in rapid speech  ˈpre-zᵊnt

1

: an official chosen to preside over a meeting or assembly

2

: an appointed governor of a subordinate political unit

3

: the chief officer of an organization (such as a corporation or institution) usually entrusted with the direction and administration of its policies

4

: the presiding officer of a governmental body

5

a

: an elected official serving as both chief of state and chief political executive in a republic having a presidential government

b

: an elected official having the position of chief of state but usually only minimal political powers in a republic having a parliamentary government

presidentship

ˈpre-zə-dənt-ˌship 

ˈprez-dənt-

ˈpre-zə-ˌdent-

noun

Synonyms

• chair
• chairman
• chairperson
• moderator
• presider
• prolocutor
• speaker

Examples of president in a Sentence

The President will hold a news conference tomorrow.

the president of the international conference on genocide

Recent Examples on the Web

Brennan, who was appointed by Republican former president and now president-elect Donald Trump, was joined by Senior Circuit Judge Kenneth Ripple, an appointee of Republican former president Ronald Reagan. —Reuters, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024

Some have speculated Trump might use his second term as president to help mend the deep divisions he’s created over the last tempestuous decade. —Mark Z. Barabak, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

The average number of acres of older forest logged annually since the president’s executive order is already higher than in any two-year span since at least 2013. —April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024

After Trump left office in 2021, Miller became president of America First Legal, a group that joined Republican state attorneys general to derail President Joe Biden’s border policies and plans. —Elliot Spagat, The Denver Post, 12 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin praesident-, praesidens, from present participle of praesidēre

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing president

• co-president
• president-elect
• vice president

Kids Definition

president

noun

pres·​i·​dent ˈprez-əd-ənt 

ˈprez-dənt,

ˈprez-ə-ˌdent

1

: a person who presides over a meeting

2

: the chief officer of an organization

a bank president

college president

president of our club

3

: the chief executive officer or the chief of state in a republic

presidential

ˌprez(-ə)-ˈden-chəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

president

noun

pres·​i·​dent ˈpre-zə-dənt, -ˌdent 

often capitalized

1

: an official chosen to preside over a meeting or assembly

2

: an appointed governor of a subordinate political unit

3

: the chief officer of an organization (as a corporation or institution) usually entrusted with the direction and administration of its policies

4

: the presiding officer of a governmental body

the Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate

—U.S. Constitution art. I

5

a

: an elected official serving as both chief of state and chief political executive in a republic having a presidential government

b

: an elected official having the position of chief of state but usually only minimal political powers in a republic having a parliamentary government

presidential

ˌpre-zə-ˈden-chəl 

adjective

presidentially adverb

presidentship noun