presently

adverb

pres·​ent·​ly ˈpre-zᵊnt-lē 

1

a

archaic : at once

b

: without undue delay : before long

2

: at the present time : now

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

Synonyms

• shortly
• soon

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 on the Web

Other paintings by those presently or formerly incarcerated reflect on the agony of prison itself. —Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025

Both players are presently rotation-level talents for the blue and gold. —Tony East, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025

This show-ending live task asked contestants to guess whether Greg Davies was presently looking at a picture of a horse or a picture of a laminator. —Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025

MnB2 is over 20% more energetic by weight and 150% more energetic by volume than the aluminum presently used in solid rocket boosters. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for presently

• pleasantly
• unpleasantly

Kids Definition

presently

adverb

pres·​ent·​ly ˈprez-ᵊnt-lē 

1

archaic : at once

2

: before long : after a while

presently they arrived

3

: at the present time : now

she is presently working