president

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

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

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

5 a : 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

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presidential

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

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presidentially

play \ˌpre-zə-ˈden(t)-sh(ə-)lē, ˌprez-ˈden(t)-\ adverb

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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

No remains have been returned, even as the president says 200 have.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Did Trump Just Help Stop Brexit?," 13 July 2018
Jeff Berding, FC Cincinnati president and general manager, announced Friday the club's July 28 friendly against Espanyol of Spain's La Liga.

— charlie hatch, Cincinnati.com, "Scouting report: FC Cincinnati hosts Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night at Nippert Stadium," 13 July 2018
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ben Jealous, the former NAACP president and a partner in a venture capital investment firm, also released three years of tax returns.

— luke broadwater, baltimoresun.com, "As governor, Larry Hogan's real estate business continues to thrive — prompting questions," 13 July 2018
Despite being an interim president, Engler has been reshaping the upper levels of MSU's administration.

— david jesse, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State to name Bill Beekman permanent athletic director on Monday," 13 July 2018
The next president to have an audience with Queen Elizabeth was Richard Nixon.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "A Look Back at All of Queen Elizabeth's Presidential Meetings," 13 July 2018
The company owns the right to sell Toyota Motor vehicles in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries (among other ventures) and Hassan serves as the president of the charitable organization within the company, Community Jameel.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Rihanna Responds to Photos of Her Feuding with Boyfriend Hassan Jameel with Lion Meme," 12 July 2018
By 1922 FoPS would become, for all political purposes, a Klan appendage, with the Exalted Cyclops as its president.

— Longreads, "Oregon’s Racist Past," 12 July 2018
Capilouto, the university's president, didn't accept all of the committee's recommendations, Bird-Pollan said.

— morgan watkins, The Courier-Journal, "Experts: University of Kentucky's sexual assault policy may be illegal," 11 July 2018

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! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

president Synonyms

Synonyms

chair, chairman, chairperson, moderator, presider, speaker;

Related Words

chairwoman;

cochair, cochairman, cochairperson, cochairwoman, copresident;

Other Government and Politics Terms

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

PRESIDENT Defined for English Language Learners

president

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

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

noun, often capitalized 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

5 a : 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

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