president

American  

[prez-i-duhnt] / ˈprɛz ɪ dənt /

noun

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, ˌprɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl /

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

• presidential
  adjective
• presidentially
  adverb
• presidentship
  noun

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

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

Lee also pointed to a Wednesday post on X from Bollinger Capital Management president and founder John Bollinger, best known for inventing the Bollinger Bands technical tools.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Economy group, said negotiations preceded Hsiung’s two operations.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and chief executive of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, said that the Jewish community continued to mourn Kessler’s loss and welcomed “the admission of guilt for this heinous crime.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

"The certainty is people have never told us they want their stuff slower," says David Carbon, vice president of Amazon Prime Air.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

The president of the PTA said they weren’t providing T-shirts for kids who quit the Fire Safety Team.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson