incumbent 1 of 2

noun

Definition of incumbentnext
as in officeholder

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incumbent

2 of 2

adjective

in-ˈkəm-bənt How to pronounce incumbent (audio)
as in compulsory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law it is incumbent upon you to attend every staff meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incumbent
Noun
Larson became the seventh Democratic incumbent in the House to lose a primary this year. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2026 In 2014, when Democrats bowed out of the Senate race to clear the way for independent entrepreneur Greg Orman, Republican incumbent Pat Roberts won the race by more than 10 percentage points. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Randy Mastro, the former first deputy mayor under Mamdani’s predecessor Eric Adams and a vocal critic of the incumbent mayor, represented the plaintiffs. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 12 Aug. 2026 Larson is the seventh incumbent House Democrat to lose in primaries this year. — Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incumbent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incumbent
  1. officeholder
  2. compulsory
  3. required
  4. mandatory
  5. necessary
Noun
  • Just four years ago, he was elected the state’s 38th secretary of state, succeeding long-time officeholder Jesse White.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The previous officeholder, a Democrat, carried the seat by 6 percentage points in 2022.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of officeholder
Adjective
  • Voting is optional in New Zealand but enrollment for those eligible and living in the country is compulsory, with failure to do so punishable by a fine of 100 New Zealand dollars ($59).
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • While vessel inspections are not compulsory, member states can request a secondary inspection of a vessel in line with specified criteria.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of compulsory
Adjective
  • What didn’t pan out nearly so well was all the required documentation.
    — Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The coalition's suit claims that Watson has not completed the required historical significance report, which could allow a two-year moratorium on potentially tearing down the building to expire in March 2027.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of required
Adjective
  • Indeed, the broad backlash against Flock has grown so strong that the surveillance company last week announced mandatory new audit controls and lower default data retention periods for US users.
    — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Make an accuracy-and-baseline plan a mandatory pre-deployment gate, with the same formal sign-off as a security review, and separate offline testing from production monitoring, since models degrade quietly through data drift long after launch.
    — Sriram Bhargav Madhav, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of mandatory
Adjective
  • In the world of corporate mergers and acquisitions, an out-of-town buyer looks to cut costs in order to help cover the share-price premium necessary to clinch the deal and those reductions typically come mainly at the expense of the seller.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The district court order would still allow below-ground construction or any other measures necessary to protect national security and the president's safety.
    — Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of necessary

Browse Nearby Words

incumbency
incumbent
incumbents
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Cite this Entry

“Incumbent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incumbent. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on incumbent

Nglish: Translation of incumbent for Spanish Speakers

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