incumbent

1 of 2

noun

in·cum·bent in-ˈkəm-bənt

Synonyms of incumbent next

: the holder of an office or ecclesiastical benefice

: one that occupies a particular position or place

incumbent

2 of 2

adjective

in·cum·bent in-ˈkəm-bənt

: imposed as a duty : obligatory

incumbent on us to take action

: having the status of an incumbent (see incumbent entry 1)

the team's incumbent third baseman

especially : occupying a specified office

the incumbent mayor

: lying or resting on something else

: bent over so as to rest on or touch an underlying surface

Did you know?

The Religious History of Incumbent

When incumbent was first used in English in the 15th century, it referred to someone who occupied a benefice—a paid position in a church. This was often a lifetime appointment; the person could only be forced to leave the office in the case of certain specific legal conflicts. In the mid-17th century, incumbent came to refer to anyone holding any office, including elected positions. In the modern American political system, incumbent typically refers to someone who is the current holder of a position during an election for that position. The word also functions as an adjective with its most common meanings being "occupying a specified office" ("the incumbent mayor") and "obligatory" ("it is incumbent upon us to help"). Incumbent came to English through Anglo-French and derives from the Latin incumbere, meaning "to lie down on."

Example Sentences

Noun Because the statehouse now determines voting districts, the current map generally ensures that incumbents face minimal challenges to re-election. —

Terry McCarthy, Time, 20 Dec. 2004

When Reagan and Clinton were seeking re-election, they didn't go after their opponents directly, in part because they didn't have to. Those incumbents knew that there's a point at which strong and tough can look weak and desperate. —

Jonathan Alter, Newsweek, 9 Aug. 2004

Jane Austen was born into the downwardly mobile branch of an upper-middle-class family. … None of the Austen children could inherit the family home from their father, a Church of England clergyman; after his death it would go to the next incumbent. —

Kevin Barry, New York Times Book Review, 7 Dec. 1997

Voters will have the chance to see the incumbent and her opponent in a series of three debates. Incumbents often have an advantage in elections. Adjective It is incumbent upon the press to act not in its own best interests, but in society's best interests. —

Carll Tucker, Saturday Review, 23 June 1979

… the various types of obligation incumbent on the members of the profession. —

R. M. MacIver, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, January 1955

… Mr. Lorry felt it incumbent on him to speak a word or two of reassurance. —

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859

it is incumbent upon you to attend every staff meeting See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

DeWine earned nearly 390,000 votes more than JD Vance, who won an open seat, and Kemp received 200,000-plus more votes in the general election than did Herschel Walker, who failed to unseat a Democratic incumbent in a later runoff. —

Hannah Fingerhut, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2023 His bid to represent part of the city of San Diego and much of East County will likely pit him against Sara Jacobs, the Democratic incumbent who overwhelmingly won her own race last year for a second term in the U.S. House of Representatives. —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2023 Anabel Abarca appeared to be the only incumbent who lost her seat outright Tuesday. —

John Byrne, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2023 Ballot counting starts March 1, 2023, in a runoff that will decide whether an incumbent or challenger will be the next UAW president and determine the balance of power within the union. —

Stephen J. Silvia, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2023 Ballot counting starts March 1, 2023, in a runoff that will decide whether an incumbent or challenger will be the next UAW president and determine the balance of power within the union. —

Stephen J. Silvia, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2023 The most vulnerable incumbent is Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, whose seat is rated Lean Republican. —

Matthew Continetti, National Review, 18 Feb. 2023 During his contentious campaign to become Nevada governor, Joe Lombardo accused the Democratic incumbent of catering to the family of a donor and their lobbyist who helped an error-prone COVID-19 testing lab get licensed in the state. —

Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 25 Jan. 2023 Trump himself has long been the most effective argument on Democrats’ behalf, and there is a reason this cartoonish con man became the first incumbent since Herbert Hoover to lose the House, Senate, and White House in just four years. —

Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2023

Adjective

Of course, there’s the battle at quarterback, too, which includes incumbent starter John Rhys Plumlee, returning sophomore Thomas Castellanos and USF transfer Timmy McClain, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. —

Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2023 That’s definitely an opportunity for incumbent President Joe Biden. —

Chuck Todd, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2023 Hogan eventually decided against what would have been a rare challenge to an incumbent president of his party. —

Sam Janesch, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2023 Still, Bola Tinubu has the strong support of the ruling All Progressives Congress party as an important backer of the incumbent president. —

Chinedu Asadu, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Feb. 2023 Still, Bola Tinubu has the strong support of the ruling All Progressives Congress party as an important backer of the incumbent president. —

Chinedu Assuda, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Feb. 2023 Still, Bola Tinubu has the strong support of the ruling All Progressives Congress party as an important backer of the incumbent president. —

Chinedu Asadu, ajc, 25 Feb. 2023 One of them, Ronald Reagan, became governor of California and, in 1976, challenged incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination. —

David Jackson, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023 Since taking power in 1979, the incumbent Islamist regime in Tehran has never trusted the regular army or air force. —

Paul Iddon, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incumbent.' 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

Noun and Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin incumbent-, incumbens, present participle of incumbere to lie down on, from in- + -cumbere to lie down; akin to cubare to lie

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of incumbent was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century