present
1 Americanadjective
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being, existing, or occurring at this time or now; current.
increasing respect for the present ruler of the small country.
- Synonyms:
- extant
- Antonyms:
- absent
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at this time; at hand; immediate.
articles for present use.
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Grammar. designating a verb tense, construction, or form used to refer to an action or state occurring at the time of speaking or writing: knows is a present form in He knows that.
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being with one or others or in the specified or understood place.
to be present at the wedding.
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being here.
Is everyone present?
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existing or occurring in a place, thing, combination, or the like.
Carbon is present in many minerals.
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being actually here or under consideration.
the present document;
the present topic.
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being in the mind; recollected.
The memories were still present to her mind.
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focused on or involved in what one is doing at a particular moment; attentive.
When you’re talking to someone, be present instead of thinking about something else.
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Obsolete. mentally alert and calm, especially in emergencies.
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Obsolete. immediate or instant.
present payment.
noun
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the present time.
She has one foot in the present and one foot in the future.
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Grammar. present tense.
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Law. presents, the present writings, or this document, used in a deed of conveyance, a lease, etc., to denote the document itself.
Know all men by these presents that . . . .
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Obsolete. the matter in hand.
idioms
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at present, at the present time or moment; now.
There are no job openings here at present.
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for the present, for now; temporarily.
For the present, we must be content with matters as they stand.
verb (used with object)
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to furnish or endow with a gift or the like, especially by formal act.
to present someone with a gold watch.
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to bring, offer, or give, often in a formal or ceremonious way.
You'll have to present your passport at the airport.
- Synonyms:
- proffer
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afford or furnish (an opportunity, possibility, etc.).
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to hand over or submit, as a bill or a check, for payment.
The waiter presented our bill for lunch.
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to introduce (a person) to another, especially in a formal manner.
Mrs. Smith, may I present Mr. Jones?
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to bring before or introduce to the public.
to present a new play.
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to come to show (oneself) before a person, at a place, etc.
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to show or exhibit.
This theater will present films on a larger screen.
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to bring forth or render for or before another or others; offer for consideration.
to present an alternative plan.
- Synonyms:
- introduce
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to set forth in words; frame or articulate.
to present arguments.
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to represent, impersonate, or act, as on the stage.
- Synonyms:
- enact
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to direct, point, or turn (something) to something or someone.
He presented his back to the audience.
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to level or aim (a weapon, especially a firearm).
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Law.
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to bring against, as a formal charge against a person.
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to bring formally to the notice of the proper authority, as an offense.
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British Ecclesiastical. to offer or recommend (a member of the clergy) to the bishop to be granted a benefice.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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to introduce (a person) to another, esp to someone of higher rank
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to introduce to the public
to present a play
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to introduce and compere (a radio or television show)
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to show; exhibit
he presented a brave face to the world
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to put forward; submit
she presented a proposal for a new book
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to bring or suggest to the mind
to present a problem
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to give or award
to present a prize
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to endow with or as if with a gift or award
to present a university with a foundation scholarship
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to offer formally
to present one's compliments
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to offer or hand over for action or settlement
to present a bill
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to represent or depict in a particular manner
the actor presented Hamlet as a very young man
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to salute someone with (one's weapon) (usually in the phrase present arms )
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to aim or point (a weapon)
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to nominate (a clergyman) to a bishop for institution to a benefice in his diocese
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to lay (a charge, etc) before a court, magistrate, etc, for consideration or trial
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to bring a formal charge or accusation against (a person); indict
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(of a grand jury) to take notice of (an offence) from personal knowledge or observation, before any bill of indictment has been drawn up
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(intr) med to seek treatment for a particular symptom or problem
she presented with postnatal depression
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informal (intr) to produce a favourable, etc impression
she presents well in public
he presents as harmless but has poisoned his family
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to appear, esp at a specific time and place
noun
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anything that is presented; a gift
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to give someone something
I'll make you a present of a new car
adjective
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(prenominal) in existence at the moment in time at which an utterance is spoken or written
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(postpositive) being in a specified place, thing, etc
the murderer is present in this room
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(prenominal) now in consideration or under discussion
the present topic
the present author
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grammar denoting a tense of verbs used when the action or event described is occurring at the time of utterance or when the speaker does not wish to make any explicit temporal reference
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archaic readily available; instant
present help is at hand
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archaic mentally alert; attentive
noun
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the time being; now
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grammar
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the present tense
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a verb in this tense
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at the moment; now
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for the time being; temporarily
Related Words
See give. Present, gift, donation, bonus refer to something freely given. Present and gift are both used of something given as an expression of affection, friendship, interest, or respect. Present is the less formal; gift is generally used of something conferred (especially with ceremony) on an individual, a group, or an institution: a birthday present; a gift to a bride. Donation applies to an important gift, most often of money and usually of considerable size, though the term is often used in speaking of small gifts to or for people who need help: a donation to an endowment fund, to the Red Cross. Bonus applies to something, again usually money, given in addition to what is due, especially to employees who have worked for a long time or particularly well: a bonus at the end of the year.
Other Word Forms
- presentness noun
- self-presented adjective
- unpresented adjective
Etymology
Origin of present1
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the adjective) from Middle English present(e), presa(u)nt, from Old French present, from Latin praesent-, stem of praesēns “being present,” present participle of praeesse “to be present, be before others, preside, be in charge”; (for the noun) from Middle English present(e), presant “presence (in space or time),” partly derivative of the adjective, partly from Old French; pre-, essence
Origin of present2
First recorded 1200–50; Middle English noun present(e), presant, from Old French present, originally in phrase en present “in presence”; Middle English verb presenten, present(e), from Old French presenter, from Medieval Latin praesentāre “to give, show, present for approval,” Latin: “to exhibit (to the mind or senses),” derivative of praesēns; present 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When discounting those to the present day, that implies “limited additional downside from current levels” for the stock, Zelnick wrote.
From MarketWatch
Roughly 94% of fliers have presented an acceptable form of identification since the requirement went into effect.
However, many of the fruit species they regularly eat contain measurable ethanol, indicating that alcohol is a routine part of their menu and was probably present in the diets of our human ancestors as well.
From Science Daily
"In just a few minutes on a laptop, the methods developed allow us to determine whether a GBS experiment is outputting the correct answer and what errors, if any, are present."
From Science Daily
The Office for Budget Responsibility had planned to release its assessment of announcements on tax and spending after treasury chief Rachel Reeves had presented them to lawmakers Wednesday, in line with convention.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.