historical present

[ hi-stawr-i-kuhl prez-uhnt, -stor- ]

noun

1. the present tense used to narrate a past event as if it were happening at the time of narration, as in Then, in 49 b.c., Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon River and prepares to march on Rome.

adjective

1. designating, in, or relating to the present tense used to narrate a past event as if it were happening at the time of narration.

historical present

noun

1. the present tense used to narrate past events, usually employed in English for special effect or in informal use, as in a week ago I'm walking down the street and I see this accident

Word History and Origins

Origin of historical present¹

First recorded in 1960–65