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

• anon
• before long
• by and by
• directly
• momentarily
• 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

How big is a three-run deficit for the Padres presently? —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2025

The government presently provides 500,000 yen ($3,400) for each birth in Japan. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025

The development department, which operated with about 90 employees for years previously, has been reduced to about 30 presently on staff, leaving major holes in budgeting and donor cultivation duties. —Nick Kurtz, CBS News, 16 May 2025

Here’s a power ranking of the Cubs’ bullpen group as presently constructed. —Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 16 May 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