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

• 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)

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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

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

Fourteen candidates are on the ballot, but the contest is largely seen as a two-horse race between the incumbent and his main challenger Brian Mundubile.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Ackman, with Israel, brushed aside worries around a stablecoin threat, saying crypto is growing in places where cards aren’t incumbent.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

During a 1980 debate against the incumbent Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan famously asked voters if they were better off now than they were four years ago.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

With demand growth outstripping new power supply, incumbent power plants could reap higher prices for their output without putting much capital at risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

In the televised debates between party leaders ahead of the 2010 elections in the UK, incumbent Prime Minister Gordon Brown made the mistake of choosing the wrong tense, and was punished for it.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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

But a ban would give more power to a handful of incumbents, raise startup costs, and weaken the open-model ecosystem necessary for American innovation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Kolodny also emphasized that it’s politically savvy for industry groups to support the re-election of incumbents in safe seats, rather than just focusing on the relatively few of the House’s 435 contests that are competitive.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

“The first is the automation layer, the incumbents that build and integrate the control systems, software, and equipment Physical AI runs on,” Linzey writes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 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