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
The average federal judge presided over roughly two jury trials in 2024.
—
Richard Lorren Jolly, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
Carlo Chatrian will preside over the international competition jury at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Eventually, Mary retreated to her family’s ancestral house in Kerala, presided over by an almost blind grandmother, a censorious great-aunt, and a Rhodes Scholar uncle who held forth at dinner about Dionysus.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
From atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing, Xi presided over a 70-minute parade to mark the end of World War II – flanked by a strongman waging Europe’s bloodiest conflict since 1945 and an Asian leader funneling him troops and weapons.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
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.
Richard Lorren Jolly, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
Carlo Chatrian will preside over the international competition jury at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Eventually, Mary retreated to her family’s ancestral house in Kerala, presided over by an almost blind grandmother, a censorious great-aunt, and a Rhodes Scholar uncle who held forth at dinner about Dionysus.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
From atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing, Xi presided over a 70-minute parade to mark the end of World War II – flanked by a strongman waging Europe’s bloodiest conflict since 1945 and an Asian leader funneling him troops and weapons.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
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 6 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share