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

Despite the positive financial and operational outcomes, SNAP’s stock price is presently declining following the earnings report. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

His time at Ralph Lauren bleeds into the exquisite construction of the pieces Chavarria designs presently. —Essence, 8 Apr. 2025

Zoom in: At least 39 data centers are presently operating in the Denver metro area. —Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 8 Apr. 2025

At 47-30, the Lakers presently occupy the West's No. 3 seed, with a good chance to notch just their second 50-win season of the LeBron James era. —John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 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