president

noun

pres·​i·​dent ˈpre-zə-dənt 

ˈprez-dənt, 

ˈpre-zə-ˌdent

in rapid speech ˈpre-zᵊnt

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

presidentship

ˈpre-zə-dənt-ˌship 

ˈprez-dənt-, 

ˈpre-zə-ˌdent-

noun

Synonyms of president

• chairman
• chairperson
• moderator
• presider

Examples of president in a Sentence

The President will hold a news conference tomorrow.

the president of the international conference on genocide

Recent Examples on the Web

Imagine how that comes across to a president who wouldn’t admit to climate change if his putter melted in his hands or Mar-a-Lago became a swim-up hotel. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

Instead of promoting their efforts, Republican lawmakers were left scrambling when the president abruptly withdrew his support over a separate political fight. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

The president also repeated his demand for Republicans to eliminate the Senate filibuster rules — which require 60 votes to pass most legislation instead of a 51-vote majority — in order to pass the election bill and other GOP priorities. — Kevin Breuninger,justin Papp, CNBC, 10 July 2026

Hernan Lopez is president of Owl & Co, an advisory firm focused on media and the attention economy. — Hernan Lopez, Variety, 10 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing president

• co-president
• president-elect
• vice president

Rhymes for president

• circumvent
• discontent
• fundament
• malcontent
• occident
• orient
• presidente
• reinvent
• represent
• underwent
• accent
• advent

Kids Definition

president

noun

pres·​i·​dent ˈprez-əd-ənt 

ˈprez-dənt, 

ˈprez-ə-ˌdent

1

: a person who presides over a meeting

2

: the chief officer of an organization

a bank president

college president

president of our club

3

: the chief executive officer or the chief of state in a republic

presidential

ˌprez(-ə)-ˈden-chəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

president

noun

pres·​i·​dent ˈpre-zə-dənt, -ˌdent 

often capitalized

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

presidential

ˌpre-zə-ˈden-chəl 

adjective

presidentially adverb

presidentship noun