existing

[ig-zis-ting]

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.

Other Word Forms

• nonexisting adjective
• unexisting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of existing¹

exist ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Some MPs have claimed that restarting drilling at Cuadrilla's two existing wells could be done quickly, and would provide significant supplies.

From BBC

Although some existing users still have it for now, Apple said in a statement it was "gravely disappointed" that it could no longer offer ADP in the UK.

From BBC

The administration frames these actions as necessary steps to protect American communities and enforce existing immigration law.

From Los Angeles Times

It's probably why, for now, both the existing and the new airport will handle domestic and international traffic, even though in the longer run, when connectivity improves, overseas flights may exclusively fly from NMIA.

From BBC

It will involve repurposing part of an existing building and constructing new ones alongside it.

From BBC

Related Words

• actual 
• current 
• extant