incumbent

American  

[in-kuhm-buhnt] / ɪnˈkʌm bənt /

adjective

1. holding an indicated position, role, office, etc., currently.

   the incumbent officers of the club.

2. obligatory (often followed by on orupon ).

   a duty incumbent upon me.

3. Archaic. resting, lying, leaning, or pressing on something.

   incumbent upon the cool grass.

---

noun

• incumbents
  plural

1. the holder of an office.

   The incumbent was challenged by a fusion candidate.

2. British. a person who holds an ecclesiastical benefice.

incumbent British  

/ ɪnˈkʌmbənt /

adjective

1. formal morally binding or necessary; obligatory

   it is incumbent on me to attend

2. resting or lying (on)

---

noun

1. a person who holds an office, esp a clergyman holding a benefice

incumbent Cultural  

1. One who holds a public office. By virtue of their experience in office, their exposure to the public, and their ability to raise campaign funds, incumbents usually have a significant advantage over opponents if they choose to run for reelection.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonincumbent
  noun
• anti-incumbent
  adjective
• incumbently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• incumbents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of incumbent

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), from Latin incumbent-, stem of incumbēns “lying upon,” present participle of incumbere “to lie or lean upon,” equivalent to in- in- ² + -cumbere (variant combining form of cubāre “to lie down”; see cubicle)

Explanation

An incumbent is an official who holds an office. If you want to run for congress, you're going to have to beat the incumbent. Incumbent comes from the Latin word incumbens, which means "lying in" or "leaning on," but came to mean "holding a position." It was first used in English for someone holding a church office, and then someone holding any office. You'll most likely hear it today for political officials. In a race for mayor, the incumbent mayor faces a challenger. Incumbent also means "required by obligation." It is incumbent upon you to do the dishes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incumbent incumbents

Mace stated that she ran into the newly appointed incumbent at a recent event, but “she didn’t know who I was.”

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

On the Republican side, the incumbent candidate is Senator Dan S. Sullivan.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Feldstein Soto failed to advance out of the June primary, the first time an incumbent Los Angeles city attorney had been ousted before a general election in nearly 100 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

And Cruz, of course, was an incumbent senator who had six years to build his war chest, while this is Paxton’s first federal race.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

But before doing so, there were a few words that he felt it incumbent upon him to say.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell

At his peak, he could intimidate established incumbents into retiring.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

The takeaway for telecom investors: SpaceX’s threat to broadband and wireless incumbents “could remain an overhang on the sector for years rather than quarters,” Bernstein analysts said in a research note.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Kim Varet said her supporters have “obviously put a lot of thought into” which of the incumbents to support, but they have had a hard time swallowing the idea of voting for either.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

It also has a regulatory side that can wall off competition, brick by brick, protecting incumbents from challengers who lack a compliance department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

When Faye came down from Sacramento and opened her house there was a flurry of animosity from the two incumbents.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• occupant