existing

American  

[ig-zis-ting] / ɪgˈzɪs tɪŋ /

adjective

1. already or previously in place, before being replaced, altered, or added to.

   Fundraising costs money, and recruiting new donors is more expensive than asking existing supporters to give a little more.

2. having actual being or life.

   The great ornithologist Alexander Wetmore, who died in 1978, allegedly declared that all existing species of birds had already been discovered.

3. occurring in a specified place or under specified conditions.

   Members of committees dealing with the behavior of intelligence services met to discuss the existing challenges and exchange best practices.

4. achieving only the basic needs of existence, as food and shelter.

   Forrest Bess was a marginally existing bait fisherman and artist who lived in a ramshackle cabin on the Gulf of Mexico.

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Other Word Forms

• nonexisting
  adjective
• unexisting
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of existing

exist ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Explanation

If something is existing, it's real. When you make a list of existing mammals, you can't include unicorns, because they don't really exist. Something that's real can be said to exist, or to be existing. The existing laws in your state are the ones that are actually on the books, and your existing friends are the ones you really have, and who are all alive and well. The verb exist, at the root of the adjective existing, comes from the Latin existere, "come into being," from a combination of ex, "out," and sistere, "take a stand."

Example Sentences

In many existing systems, extreme cooling is necessary to prevent a process known as decoherence, in which delicate quantum information is lost.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2026

It also issued a so-called no-action letter to Coinbase to allow its U.S. customers to access options and perpetuals it already offers through a foreign platform, giving Americans access to its already existing global market.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

The airline earlier this year announced free Wi-Fi on flights through existing providers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

The new indictment adds charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy to the existing two wire fraud charges he has faced since October.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

This was music to Flamsteed’s ears, since it confirmed that modern observing techniques could improve on existing stellar catalogues.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• actual
• current
• extant