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.

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noun

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)

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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.

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Other Word Forms

• anti-incumbent adjective
• incumbently adverb
• nonincumbent noun

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”; cubicle )

Example Sentences

“While the AI transition is more disruptive than the shift to Cloud, incumbents that embrace the transition should emerge as L-T winners as IP value resides in software.”

From Barron's

I’m glad someone is going to make the mayor work hard to get reelected because no incumbent should ever have an automatic reelection.

From Los Angeles Times

In the other five City Council races, challengers will try to unseat incumbents.

From Los Angeles Times

Lindsey Horvath will not run for Los Angeles mayor, becoming the latest political heavyweight to decide against a challenge to incumbent Karen Bass.

From Los Angeles Times

Plenty of incumbents are likely to survive and even thrive as corporate America embraces the wave, they say, particularly those able to adjust their business models to meet the moment.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• occupant