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

Overall: Weak Thus, even with its moderate valuation, this renders the stock risky and reinforces our view that CDW may not presently be a wise investment choice. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

Cooper was part of a crowded Dolphins secondary, which is presently filled with plenty of unproven young players and few playmakers, especially after Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey is traded after June 1, which is expected in this mutual parting of ways. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025

The reason for this discrepancy is unclear—but could point to issues with some of the assumptions presently made in stellar modeling. —Ian Randall, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025

Trevor ‘welcomes contact’ in run game The Etienne brothers are one of the few brotherly duos in the NFL presently, and are one of the few in league history to be on NFL rosters at the same time and both play running back. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 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