presently

adverb pres·ent·ly \ ˈpre-zᵊnt-lē \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Usage guide: Usage of presently

Examples: presently in a Sentence

Definition of presently

1 a archaic : at once

b : without undue delay : before long

2 : at the present time : now

See presently defined for English-language learners

See presently defined for kids

Usage of presently

Both senses 1b and 2 are flourishing in current English, but many commentators have objected to sense 2. Since this sense has been in continuous use since the 15th century, it is not clear why it is objectionable. Perhaps a note in the Oxford English Dictionary (1909) that the sense has been obsolete since the 17th century in literary English is to blame, but the note goes on to observe that the sense is in regular use in most English dialects. The last citation in that dictionary is from a 1901 Leeds newspaper, written in Standard English. Sense 2 is most common in contexts relating to business and politics.

- the fastest-rising welfare cost is Medicaid, presently paid by the states and cities
- —William Safire

Examples of presently in a Sentence

I cannot attend to the matter this instant, but I will presently.
we are presently waiting in line for our turn

Recent Examples of presently from the Web

Milwaukee is definitely below the 5.5 average, presently at 5.2 innings per start.

— jr radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Seven Brewers facts and figures you may have missed thus far in 2018," 29 May 2018
Makita’s practically underhand release is unlike any pitcher presently in the majors and few ever.

— kevin acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres notes: Pirela heating up, really up; Maki finds balance; Strahm finds zone," 27 May 2018
The police statement says there is presently no evidence of a hate crime.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Man arrested in Texas transgender woman's strangulation death," 18 May 2018
Peru's all-time top scorer is presently banned from the Russia 2018 World Cup after testing positive for the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine, following a World Cup qualifying match away to Argentina in October 2017.

— henry young, CNN, "Paolo Guerrero's shattered World Cup dream prompts calls for anti-doping reform," 22 May 2018
Myth prepares the ground for explicit understanding by using what is presently comprehended ... to represent that which remains unknown.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Jordan Peterson’s Tired Old Myths," 21 May 2018
The starting revenue share is 70-30 in the developers’ favor, presently.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "Small group of iOS devs form “The Developers Union” to request App Store changes," 20 May 2018
The police statement says there is presently no evidence of a hate crime.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Man arrested in Texas transgender woman's strangulation death," 18 May 2018
The police statement says there is presently no evidence of a hate crime.

— Fox News, "Man arrested in Texas transgender woman strangulation death," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'presently.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.