as in compulsory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
it is incumbent upon you to attend every staff meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in officeholder
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of incumbent
Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
The incumbent Wu is aiming for a second term in office and is popular among Boston voters.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2025
David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The incumbent mayor also expressed optimism about outperforming expectations and noted most polling missed Mamdani’s defeat of Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Adjective
The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, LGBTQ+ Democrats of Mecklenburg County and The Charlotte Observer editorial board all favored Mayo over the incumbent.
—Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
The incumbent Wu is aiming for a second term in office and is popular among Boston voters.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Given a choice between Goldman and Lander, the comptroller leads the incumbent congressman by 19 points — with 52% supporting Lander and 33% backing Goldman.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The incumbent mayor also expressed optimism about outperforming expectations and noted most polling missed Mamdani’s defeat of Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incumbent
Adjective
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The new subject remains non-compulsory, but Screen Scotland hopes the appetite shown in pilots will drive wide adoption.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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The 90-day window for lodging a challenge is tight, but veto referendums have been successful in Missouri as recently as 2017, when labor unions successfully organized to defeat a right-to-work law that would have banned compulsory union fees.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Kirk’s death reflects a sizable increase in threats against officeholders and politicians at the local and federal level.—
Arie Perliger,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
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The bill would also apply to the next president and vice president, though not to the current officeholders.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Hurdles have included problems obtaining required permits from the city council, complaints from residents about noise and light pollution, reports of workers’ rights not being respected by local authorities, and suppliers going bankrupt.—
Pol Ballus,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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Beyond reading the college’s brochures and website, Selingo encourages prospective students to ask current students how helpful the career offices are, what their advisors are like and how accessible required courses are.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Most Americans support common-sense measures like background checks, mandatory training, licensing, restrictions on magazine size, and safe-storage rules.—
John J. Donohue,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Florida’s state legislature needs to get involved to make other mandatory school vaccines optional,including those that protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps and rubella.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Is Executive Order 14224 even necessary?—
Doug Melville,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The partial closure order was coordinated with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, along with multiple local, state, and federal agency cooperators, to identify the minimum area necessary for the safety of firefighting resources and forest visitors.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incumbent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incumbent. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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