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. )

Example Sentences

In 2021 the Chicago Bears signed a purchase agreement for land at a former racetrack in nearby Arlington Heights, with the intention of razing the existing facility and building a new stadium.

From The Wall Street Journal

The system was tested both in laboratory fiber setups and across the University of Warsaw's existing fiber network over several kilometers.

From Science Daily

Department of Transportation have begun exploring replacing the existing funding structure with a simpler VMT tax that better aligns use with costs and better approximates the real price of roads.

From MarketWatch

Organic sales, which account for revenue generated from existing operations, rose 2.4%.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sir Keir said this year's summit "will not just ratify existing commitments made at last year's summit" but would be "more ambitious".

From BBC

Related Words

• actual
• current
• extant