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

• 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

The president’s comments come after his administration expanded a federal program that deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws, signing up nearly 16,000 officers across 40 states as part of an effort to boost deportations, according to data reviewed by Bloomberg News. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025

Earlier this summer, the president even proposed a cash reward for residents on any island that completely eliminates smoking. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025

The president has loomed large over the contests, featuring in ads and as a frequent topic in debates as Democrats blast his record and Republicans embrace it. —Zac Anderson, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025

The president said that on-campus living arrangements for students result in better success rates. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2025

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
• reinvent
• represent
• underwent
• accent
• advent
• ascent

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