president

noun

pres·​i·​dent ˈpre-zə-dənt How to pronounce president (audio)
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 How to pronounce president (audio)
ˈprez-dənt-
ˈpre-zə-ˌdent-
noun

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 That stance was echoed by team president Stan Kasten, who declined to answer any questions on the subject, as well as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. Bill Plunkett, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024 Leila Oliveira, president of Warner Music Brazil, also participated in the event via video call from Rio. Richard Smirke, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024 From a longer-term perspective, weak demographic trends have combined with stunted innovation on the continent since the turn of the century, Clemens Fuest, president of Germany’s Ifo Institute, Fuest said Thursday, Bloomberg reported. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 21 Mar. 2024 Lyndon Pryor, president of the Louisville Urban League, also pointed to the recent promise to improve racial and socioeconomic diversity within the district's magnets, which are coveted schools and programs that generally produce higher academic outcomes. Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 21 Mar. 2024 Chao was the chair and CEO of her family’s shipping business, the Foremost Group, and the president of her father’s philanthropic organization, the Foremost Foundation. Christopher Weber, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 Other great reads The first woman to run for president in years in Senegal is inspiring hope. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 On March 13 the Assembly Insurance Committee heard testimony by Victoria Roach, president of the California FAIR Plan. John Seiler, Orange County Register, 20 Mar. 2024 And the resignation of Harvard’s first Black president amid allegations of plagiarism and antisemitism on campus has been claimed as a victory by critics intent on dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in academia and the private sector. Emma Kumer, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'president.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of president was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near president

Cite this Entry

“President.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/president. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

president

noun
pres·​i·​dent ˈprez-əd-ənt How to pronounce president (audio)
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 adjective

Legal Definition

president

noun
pres·​i·​dent ˈpre-zə-dənt, -ˌdent How to pronounce president (audio)
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 SenateU.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 adjective
presidentially adverb
presidentship noun

More from Merriam-Webster on president

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