president

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

presidentship

2 of 2

noun (2)

pres·​i·​dent·​ship ˈprez(ə)dəntˌship 

1

: the office of president

contests for the presidentships and chairmanships of civic bodies

—Hindustan Times

accepted the presidentship of the … association

—Modern Language Teaching

2

: the period of incumbency of a president

the 17th year of his presidentship

—Cotton Mather

Synonyms of president

Noun (1)

• chairman
• chairperson
• moderator
• presider

Examples of president in a Sentence

Noun (1)

The President will hold a news conference tomorrow.

the president of the international conference on genocide

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Simpson, 60, is a former state Senate president who served in the upper chamber for 10 years before winning the agriculture commissioner position in 2022. — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026

Republicans not only lost the House, but watched as their hope of keeping a Senate majority slipped away, too — a blue tsunami that was quickly interpreted as a rebuke of the president and his agenda. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026

Trump choices could prove costly Republicans tried to buck historical precedent — a president’s party almost always loses seats during the midterms — with an aggressive redistricting effort aimed at creating a more favorable congressional map. — Jill Colvin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026

Barrera, the school board president of San Diego Unified, was the heavy favorite as the Democrat in the race, even though the office is listed as nonpartisan. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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