existing

American  

[ig-zis-ting] / ɪgˈzɪs tɪŋ /

adjective

1. already or previously in place, before being replaced, altered, or added to.

   Fundraising costs money, and recruiting new donors is more expensive than asking existing supporters to give a little more.

2. having actual being or life.

   The great ornithologist Alexander Wetmore, who died in 1978, allegedly declared that all existing species of birds had already been discovered.

3. occurring in a specified place or under specified conditions.

   Members of committees dealing with the behavior of intelligence services met to discuss the existing challenges and exchange best practices.

4. achieving only the basic needs of existence, as food and shelter.

   Forrest Bess was a marginally existing bait fisherman and artist who lived in a ramshackle cabin on the Gulf of Mexico.

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Other Word Forms

• nonexisting
  adjective
• unexisting
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of existing

exist ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Explanation

If something is existing, it's real. When you make a list of existing mammals, you can't include unicorns, because they don't really exist. Something that's real can be said to exist, or to be existing. The existing laws in your state are the ones that are actually on the books, and your existing friends are the ones you really have, and who are all alive and well. The verb exist, at the root of the adjective existing, comes from the Latin existere, "come into being," from a combination of ex, "out," and sistere, "take a stand."

Example Sentences

Existing Nvidia chips, such as the flagship GeForce RTX 5090, are in short supply and can go for more than double the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,999.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

Existing vaccines against Ebola are only effective for the Zaire strain of the virus, which is responsible for the largest recorded outbreaks.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Existing home sales rose 0.2% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million, falling below economists’ forecasts.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Existing Call of Duty titles already in the library will continue to be available for Game Pass subscribers.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Existing lakes.—Relatively few lakes now remain in this immediate region, though they are common in most of the country covered by the ice sheet which overspread this region.

From The Geography of the Region about Devils Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin by Atwood, Wallace W.

Related Words

• actual
• current
• extant