preside over
phrasal verb
presided over; presiding over; presides over
1
: to be in charge of something (such as a meeting or organization)
The vice president presided over the meeting.
The Chief Justice presides over the Supreme Court.
He has presided over the company for 15 years.
2
: to be in charge of a country, company, etc., during (a particular time or activity)
She presided over a period of relative peace and prosperity.
Examples of preside over in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But in a Western Conference presided over by the Oklahoma City Thunder, bottom 10 is really pushing Denver’s luck.
—
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Dotson was freed from a state prison in April 1985, but the judge who presided over the 1979 trial that led to his conviction ordered him back to prison several days later.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
In 1996, former President Chun Doo-hwan, an army major general, was convicted for seizing power in a 1979 military coup and presiding over the 1980 Gwangju massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Judge Carolyn Kuhl, who is presiding over the trial, also ordered anyone in the courtroom wearing AI glasses to immediately remove them, noting that any use of facial recognition technology to identify the jurors was banned.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preside over
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Dotson was freed from a state prison in April 1985, but the judge who presided over the 1979 trial that led to his conviction ordered him back to prison several days later.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
In 1996, former President Chun Doo-hwan, an army major general, was convicted for seizing power in a 1979 military coup and presiding over the 1980 Gwangju massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Judge Carolyn Kuhl, who is presiding over the trial, also ordered anyone in the courtroom wearing AI glasses to immediately remove them, noting that any use of facial recognition technology to identify the jurors was banned.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preside over
Cite this Entry
“Preside over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preside%20over. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
