presidency

noun pres·i·den·cy \ ˈpre-zə-dən(t)-sē , ˈprez-dən(t)- also ˈpre-zə-ˌden(t)-sē \

Definition of presidency

plural presidencies

1 a :the office of president

b (1) :the office of president of the U.S.

(2) :the American governmental institution comprising the office of president and various associated administrative and policy-making agencies

2 :the term during which a president holds office

3 :the action or function of one that presides :superintendence

4 :a Mormon executive council of the church or a stake consisting of a president and two counselors

See presidency defined for English-language learners

See presidency defined for kids

Examples of presidency in a Sentence

responsibility for the presidency of a major television network

Recent Examples of presidency from the Web

So, like many other things during this unconventional presidency, has conventional wisdom failed?

— john patrick pullen, Fortune, "Rubik’s Cube Maker Is Suing Toys “R” Us Over Knock-Offs," 30 Aug. 2017
The slave states treated African-Americans as property rather than as people in every way except in political representation, a demand clearly driven by their desire to enjoy disproportionate influence in Congress and the presidency.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Republicans Confuse the Electoral College With ‘the American People’," 29 Aug. 2017
The value at the end of the Obama presidency was set at roughly $40 for each ton of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted by human activities, or equivalent amounts of other gases such as methane.

— andrew revkin, Science | AAAS, "Trump’s attack on social cost of carbon could end up hurting his fossil fuel push," 24 Aug. 2017
For many critics of Donald Trump, there were two best-case scenarios for his presidency.

— emily jane fox, vanityfair.com, "The Bull Case for the Trump Presidency Collapses," 18 Aug. 2017
Indeed, Obama's presidency brought into the open racial animosity that had been smoldering for decades.

— Howard County Times, "Racial divisions, animosity remain on full display [Letter]," 17 Aug. 2017
Warren G. Harding’s presidency–and its many scandals–has been written about at length.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Florence Harding, Not Eleanor Roosevelt, May Have Created the Modern First Lady," 15 Aug. 2017
Ivanka Trump’s influence inside the White House might be wavering, but under her dad’s presidency, her eponymous brand’s is not.

— claire landsbaum, The Cut, "Guess Where Ivanka Trump Is Opening Her New Store," 10 Aug. 2017
A capable and affable fellow by all accounts, Khurana is believed to have his eye on a college presidency of his own one day, which may account for his tenacity in taking on clubs that seem both morally retrograde and unpopular.

— john sedgwick, Vanities, "What’s Really Behind the Civil War to End Harvard’s Fraternities?," 9 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'presidency.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of presidency

1591

presidency Synonyms

Synonyms

administration, care, charge, control, direction, governance, government, guidance, handling, intendance, management, operation, oversight, conduct, regulation, running, stewardship, superintendence, superintendency, supervision

Related Words

generalship, leadership, rulership; agency; aegis (also egis), custody, guardianship, keeping, lap, protection, safekeeping, trust, tutelage, ward; engineering, logistics, machination, manipulation; coadministration, codirection, comanagement

PRESIDENCY Defined for English Language Learners

presidency

noun

Definition of presidency for English Language Learners

: the job of a president or the period of time when a person is president

PRESIDENCY Defined for Kids

presidency

noun pres·i·den·cy \ ˈpre-zə-dən-sē \

Definition of presidency for Students

plural presidencies

1 :the office of president

2 :the term during which a president holds office

Law Dictionary

presidency

noun pres·i·den·cy \ ˈpre-zə-dən-sē, -ˌden- \

legal Definition of presidency

plural presidencies

1 a :the office of president

b :the office of president of the U.S.; also :the American governmental institution comprising the office of president and various associated administrative and policy-making agencies

2 :the term during which a president holds office

3 :the action or function of one that presides