preside

verb pre·side \ pri-ˈzīd \

Definition of preside

presided; presiding

intransitive verb

1 :to exercise guidance, direction, or control

2 a :to occupy the place of authority :act as president, chairman, or moderator

b :to occupy a position similar to that of a president or chairman

3 :to occupy a position of featured instrumental performer —usually used with at

presided at the organ

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presider

noun

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Examples of preside in a Sentence

Court is now in session, Justice Raul Fernandez presiding.

Recent Examples of preside from the Web

Slavery presiding in the Cabinet, seated on the Supreme Bench, absolute in the halls of Congress—no man can say what shape its next aggression may not take to itself.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "The 1850s Response to the Racism of 2017," 16 Aug. 2017
Jim Greanias, presiding priest at St. Iakovos Greek Orthodox Church.

— jessi virtusio, Post-Tribune, "Greek Fest returns to Valparaiso," 16 Aug. 2017
But after the state Senate, where Patrick presides, passed a bill, a narrower one is showing few signs of life in the 150-member House.

— david montgomery, star-telegram, "Time is running out on Texas ‘bathroom bill’," 8 Aug. 2017
On what turns out to be a distant planet, children at play are halted by an eerie signal and summoned to an evil laboratory presided over by a sorcerer.

— kyle smith, National Review, "The Dark Tower," 4 Aug. 2017
Things seemed precarious at first, then triumphant, when Tyrion’s genius plan of infiltrating the castle from the inside worked and Dany’s army presided over a castle full of dead men.

— elyse roth, Glamour, "'Game of Thrones' Season 7 Episode 3 Recap: Daenerys and Jon Finally Meet," 31 July 2017
The charges are expected to be formally dismissed Monday morning in the courtroom of Judge Leslie Ghiz, who presided over the second trial.

— mark curnutte, Cincinnati.com, "From Fountain Square to The Banks, Rally for Sam DuBose," 22 July 2017
The queen, escorted much of the time by High Commissioner to the UK Janice Charette, toured a collection of Canadian artifacts from the royal collection — including several with photographs of her presiding at important events.

— Washington Post, "Queen Elizabeth visits Canada House to mark confederation," 19 July 2017
Presiding Judge William Thompson and Judge Craig Sorrell Pittman concurred.

— mike cason, AL.com, "Lawyer blasts court ruling allowing abortion for 12-year-old who was raped," 19 July 2017

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