preside

verb

pre·​side pri-ˈzīd How to pronounce preside (audio)
presided; presiding

intransitive verb

1
: to exercise guidance, direction, or control
2
a
: to occupy the place of authority : act as president, chairman, or moderator
b
: to occupy a position similar to that of a president or chairman
3
: to occupy a position of featured instrumental performer
usually used with at
presided at the organ
presider noun

Examples of preside in a Sentence

Court is now in session, Justice Raul Fernandez presiding.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The presiding judge had decided Spector should now serve an overall 15-year sentence in a maximum-security penal colony as punishment for both cases on Tuesday, reported TASS, a Russian state news agency. Anastasia Bagaeva, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2024 The presiding judge in the New York trial in which writer E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of abusing her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room wrote that Carroll failed to prove that she was raped within the narrow scope of the New York penal law. Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 19 Dec. 2024 Federal prosecutors initially sought a five-year sentence for Liu, but the presiding District Judge R. Gary Klausner lowered the sentence to about three and a half years due to Liu’s family situation. Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024 Under Fijian law, the presiding judge can establish a minimum term to be served before a pardon may be considered. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for preside 

Word History

Etymology

Latin praesidēre to guard, preside over, from prae- + sedēre to sit — more at sit

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of preside was in 1608

Dictionary Entries Near preside

Cite this Entry

“Preside.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preside. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

preside

verb
pre·​side pri-ˈzīd How to pronounce preside (audio)
presided; presiding
1
: to be in the place of authority : act as president, chairperson, or moderator
preside over a meeting
2
: to be in charge

Legal Definition

preside

intransitive verb
pre·​side pri-ˈzīd How to pronounce preside (audio)
presided; presiding
1
: to exercise guidance, direction, or control
2
: to occupy the place of authority : direct or regulate proceedings as chief officer

More from Merriam-Webster on preside

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