presence

[ prez-uhns ]

/ ˈprɛz əns /

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noun

the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.

attendance or company: Your presence is requested.

immediate vicinity; proximity: in the presence of witnesses.

the military or economic power of a country as reflected abroad by the stationing of its troops, sale of its goods, etc.: the American military presence in Europe; the Japanese presence in the U.S. consumer market.

Chiefly British. the immediate personal vicinity of a great personage giving audience or reception: summoned to her presence.

the ability to project a sense of ease, poise, or self-assurance, especially the quality or manner of a person's bearing before an audience: The speaker had a good deal of stage presence.

personal appearance or bearing, especially of a dignified or imposing kind: a man of fine presence.

a person, especially of noteworthy appearance or compelling personality: He is a real presence, even at a private party.

a divine or supernatural spirit felt to be present: He felt a presence with him in the room.

British Obsolete. presence chamber.

OTHER WORDS FOR presence

3 neighborhood.

6 carriage, mien.

See synonyms for presence on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR presence

1 absence.

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Origin of presence

1300–50; Middle English <Middle French <Latin praesentia.See present¹, -ence

OTHER WORDS FROM presence

non·pres·ence, noun

Words nearby presence

prescutum, preseason, preselect, preselector, presell, presence, presence chamber, presence of mind, presenile, presenile dementia, presenility

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use presence in a sentence

Someone passing through the lobby wouldn’t notice its presence.
The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That’s Too Small to Save|by Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel|September 12, 2020|ProPublica
We think that the presence of a planet between these rings is needed to explain why the disc was torn apart.
A strange dusty disk could hide a planet betwixt three stars|Paola Rosa-Aquino|September 11, 2020|Popular-Science
This holds true for businesses because they can register their presence on YouTube to showcase their resources.
How businesses can use YouTube to tackle the COVID-19 business crisis|Catherrine Garcia|September 7, 2020|Search Engine Watch
The mere presence of a young patrons committee, however, doesn’t mean millennials will come, and some nonprofits still find it challenging to engage with the audience.
How nonprofits are catering to millennials and rethinking the charity gala for younger generations|Rachel King|September 7, 2020|Fortune

Critics of symmetry-based tests, though, say that the presence of packing and cracking does not prove that the governing party has intentionally gerrymandered the state’s districts.
How next-gen computer generated maps detect partisan gerrymandering|Sujata Gupta|September 7, 2020|Science News
The well, ghost or no ghost, is certainly a piece of history with a bold presence.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“There is a heavy security presence but nothing has changed,” agrees Father Javier.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He appeared to understand however belatedly that he was in the presence of another kind of greatness.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In general, their presence is meant to throw you off your game by design.
Brie Larson’s Hollywood Transformation|Marlow Stern|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one who lives in an American city requires a flashlight to detect the presence of immigrants or the challenges they face daily.
The 2014 Novel of the Year|Nathaniel Rich|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Recognition of the pneumococcus depends upon its morphology, the fact that it is Gram-staining, and the presence of a capsule.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
His presence, also, always graced Walls End Castle at the regulation periods.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Most characteristic is the presence of Curschmann's spirals, Charcot-Leyden crystals, and eosinophilic leukocytes.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
For two consecutive seasons he lived in the sunlight of Mademoiselle Duvigne's presence.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
This, however, should not be accepted as proving the presence of bile without further tests.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for presence

presence

/ (ˈprɛzəns) /

noun

the state or fact of being present

the immediate proximity of a person or thing

personal appearance or bearing, esp of a dignified nature

an imposing or dignified personality

an invisible spirit felt to be nearby

electronics a recording control that boosts mid-range frequencies

(of a recording) a quality that gives the impression that the listener is in the presence of the original source of the sound

obsolete assembly or company

obsolete short for presence chamber

Word Origin for presence

C14: via Old French from Latin praesentia a being before, from praeesse to be before, from prae before + esse to be

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

presence

OTHER WORDS FOR presence

OPPOSITES FOR presence

Origin of presence

OTHER WORDS FROM presence

Words nearby presence

Words related to presence

How to use presence in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for presence

Word Origin for presence