president

American  

[prez-i-duhnt] / ˈprɛz ɪ dənt /

noun

• presidents
  plural

1. the highest executive officer of a modern republic, as the chief executive of the United States.

   sworn in as the 56th president of Mexico.

2. an officer appointed or elected to preside over an organized body of persons.

3. the chief officer of a college, university, society, corporation, etc.

4. a person who presides.

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president British  

/ ˈprɛzɪdənt /

noun

1. (often capital) the chief executive or head of state of a republic, esp of the US

2. (in the US) the chief executive officer of a company, corporation, etc

3. a person who presides over an assembly, meeting, etc

4. the chief executive officer of certain establishments of higher education

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• presidentship
  noun
• presidential
  adjective
• presidentially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• presidents
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of president

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin praesident- (stem of praesidēns ), noun use of present participle of praesidēre “to preside over, sit in front of”; see preside, -ent

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Explanation

The president is the person officially in charge — whether it’s of a republic, a company, a college, or a fan club. This is a word for a leader, like the President of the United States or the president of the National Football League Players' Union. Many organizations have presidents, and they're usually elected by members of that group. When it’s followed by a name, the title president gets a capital p, as in President Obama. Whether with a P or p, the job of a president is to preside in a formal or official capacity.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

president presidents

Peter Finn, who serves as the Teamsters’ vice president at-large, said that truck driving is the most common job for men without a college degree in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Real Madrid have called for the "immediate resignation" of La Liga president Javier Tebas after he drew comparisons between the club's management and Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Speaking to reporters at the White House Friday, the president said he told her “Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.”

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

The president has also unveiled debt relief for small businesses, new university grants and measures to ease fuel costs, while proposing free weekend public transport.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

The nation’s capital city was getting ready to inaugurate a new president the following month.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The party of incumbent presidents regularly loses seats in midterm elections, and it is common for presidents to shake up their staffs halfway through a term.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The presidents of Romania and Bulgaria are due to discuss today whether Article 4 of the Nato treaty should be invoked.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Some pointed out that former presidents have held meetings there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

While some presidents have clearly enjoyed Camp David more than others, Trump has made no secret of his deep dislike of it.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026

The dog had ridden in the family's last station wagon, attended my father's retirement party, and celebrated the elections of two Republican presidents.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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