Definition of PRESENTLY

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 on the Web

Ann presently cured Mrs Pitt’s leg after a bad fall merely by stroking it, and soon became so famous that numerous people flocked to the house for cures from as far south as Land’s End, and as far north as London. — Longreads, "Fairy Scapegoats: A History of the Persecution of Changeling Children," 9 June 2018 The court was unanimous in its order that the eight people presently on death row have their sentences converted to life in prison. — Rachel La Corte, The Seattle Times, "Washington state ends ‘racially biased’ death penalty," 14 Oct. 2018 In our view, it could reasonably be expected that the rate of sea level rise might become twice of that presently occurring. ... — Aaron Rupar, Vox, "Trump dismisses the economic impact of climate change — except at his golf course," 27 Nov. 2018 These remnants would help bridge incompatible theories of the cosmos at its largest and smallest scales, as well as possibly constitute a sizable portion of the presently unaccounted-for dark matter. — Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, "Scientists Hunt for A Seeming Paradox: A Magnet With Only One Pole," 13 Nov. 2018 But flying requires an incredible amount of energy, and presently, batteries are too heavy and too expensive to achieve liftoff. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Electric flight is coming, but the batteries aren’t ready," 14 Aug. 2018 That's a perfect example of when laws and policy are not in touch with humanity and what's going on presently, when someone's trying to do a good thing. — Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, "Bryce Dallas Howard on Body Image, Social Media, and Gaining 30 Pounds for 'Black Mirror'," 26 Oct. 2016 Along with her one-on-one students, Caplan has also become a go-to vocal consultant for Broadway productions, presently including the new musical of Disney's Frozen. — Rebecca Milzoff, Billboard, "Billboard on Broadway Podcast: Behind the Scenes of Stage & Screen With Vocal Coach Liz Caplan," 19 Mar. 2018 The non-San Diego finalists are presently constructed to win more games in 2018. — Dennis Lin, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres could be favorite to sign Shohei Ohtani," 4 Dec. 2017

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.