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

The company said its strategy would prioritize value creation from its existing land holdings.

From The Wall Street Journal

In tests on tens of thousands of people, the jabs - alongside existing heart medicines - were linked to a 20% reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes.

From BBC

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement announced its “ICE Detention Reengineering Initiative” in February, which calls for “eight large-scale detention centers and 16 processing sites, as well as the acquisition of 10 existing ‘turnkey’ facilities.”

From Salon

More than a million people - roughly one in every six in the country - have also been displaced, worsening an existing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.

From BBC

Of particular note will be the company’s existing financial position.

From Barron's

Related Words

• actual
• current
• extant