president

play

noun pres·i·dent \ˈpre-zə-dənt, ˈprez-dənt, ˈpre-zə-ˌdent in rapid speech ˈpre-z^ənt\

Definition of president

1 : an official chosen to preside over a meeting or assembly
2 : an appointed governor of a subordinate political unit
3 : the chief officer of an organization (such as a corporation or institution) usually entrusted with the direction and administration of its policies
4 : the presiding officer of a governmental body
5a : an elected official serving as both chief of state and chief political executive in a republic having a presidential governmentb : an elected official having the position of chief of state but usually only minimal political powers in a republic having a parliamentary government

presidential

play \ˌpre-zə-ˈden(t)-shəl, ˌprez-ˈden(t)-\ adjective

presidentially

play \-sh(ə-)lē\ adverb

presidentship

play \ˈpre-zə-dənt-ˌship, ˈprez-dənt-, ˈpre-zə-ˌdent-\ noun

See president defined for English-language learners

See president defined for kids

Examples of president in a Sentence

The President will hold a news conference tomorrow.
the president of the international conference on genocide

Recent Examples of president from the Web

In a statement, Hobby Lobby's president, Steve Green, said the company had cooperated fully with the federal investigation into the deal for the artifacts.

— the new york times, NOLA.com, "Hobby Lobby agrees to forfeit 5,500 artifacts smuggled out of Iraq", 5 July 2017
Messages seeking comment weren’t returned by the council president, Doug Young, or by the borough’s solicitor.

— mark scolforo, The Seattle Times, "Naval officer battles town’s limits on nightly taps ritual", 5 July 2017
With popularity ratings around the 80 percent mark, expectations are high domestically for Moon to improve on the prior administration, where the president was impeached.

— kanga kong, Bloomberg.com, "Moon’s ‘Abstract’ Red Line on Kim Puts South Korea in the Back Seat", 5 July 2017
Medical Joe Natoli was named executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Baptist Health South Florida.

— cindy kent, Sun-Sentinel.com, "People on the move: Career moves, job changes, in South Florida", 5 July 2017
Oh, imagine a president sending comics a note of appreciation for mocking him.

— vanityfair.com, "“Modern Day Presidential”: Has Trump’s Vulgarity Become the New Normal?", 3 July 2017
Pictured with Schliphack on the left is Vernon Garden Club Scholarship Chairman Kay Varga and on the right, Betty Wardrop, president.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Vernon Edition", 3 July 2017
In the last two cases, a handful of the president’s Republican allies expressed shock.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Is Steve Bannon Trying to Get Trump Impeached?", 3 July 2017
Nina Creech is vice president of operations, People Working Cooperatively.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Summer weatherization to keep you cool", 30 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of president

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin praesident-, praesidens, from present participle of praesidēre

NEW!

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

PRESIDENT Defined for English Language Learners

president

play

noun

Definition of president for English Language Learners

: the head of the government in some countries
: someone who has the highest position in an organization or business

PRESIDENT Defined for Kids

president

play

noun pres·i·dent \ˈpre-zə-dənt\

Definition of president for Students

1 : the head of the government and chief executive officer of a modern republic
2 : the chief officer of a company, organization, or society a bank president a college president

Law Dictionary

president

play

noun , often cap pres·i·dent \ˈpre-zə-dənt, -ˌdent\

Legal Definition of president

1 : an official chosen to preside over a meeting or assembly
2 : an appointed governor of a subordinate political unit
3 : the chief officer of an organization (as a corporation or institution) usually entrusted with the direction and administration of its policies
4 : the presiding officer of a governmental body the Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate — U.S. Constitution art. I
5a : an elected official serving as both chief of state and chief political executive in a republic having a presidential government b : an elected official having the position of chief of state but usually only minimal political powers in a republic having a parliamentary government