presence

American  

[prez-uhns] / ˈprɛz əns /

noun

• presences
  plural

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

   Antonyms:

   absence

2. attendance or company.

   Your presence is requested.

3. immediate vicinity; proximity.

   in the presence of witnesses.

   Synonyms:

   neighborhood

4. 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.

5. Chiefly British. the immediate personal vicinity of a great personage giving audience or reception.

   summoned to her presence.

6. 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.

   Synonyms:

   mien, carriage

7. personal appearance or bearing, especially of a dignified or imposing kind.

   a man of fine presence.

8. a person, especially of noteworthy appearance or compelling personality.

   He is a real presence, even at a private party.

9. a divine or supernatural spirit felt to be present.

   He felt a presence with him in the room.

10. British Obsolete. presence chamber.

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presence British  

/ ˈprɛzəns /

noun

1. the state or fact of being present

2. the immediate proximity of a person or thing

3. personal appearance or bearing, esp of a dignified nature

4. an imposing or dignified personality

5. an invisible spirit felt to be nearby

6. electronics a recording control that boosts mid-range frequencies

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

8. obsolete assembly or company

9. obsolete short for presence chamber

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpresence
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• presences
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of presence

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin praesentia; see present ¹, -ence

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Explanation

Presence is the state of being somewhere. When you get an invitation that reads "Your presence is requested,” you are being asked to show up. Your style of being there — your demeanor or bearing — is also your presence. Usually, presence is a physical thing. Since the 1600s, the word has also meant something otherwordly, a spiritual or divine presence. If you suddenly feel a weird presence in the room, perhaps it's a ghost . . . or just the cat. Use the phrase "presence of mind" to indicate when someone is quick-witted or just paying attention. While your job washing skyscraper windows doesn't require a lot of brain work, it's a good idea to keep your presence of mind while working.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

presence presences

The solid results come as the Hangzhou-based automaker has experienced robust demand in overseas markets, where it has been expanding its presence to diversify revenue sources and offset slowing domestic demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Video footage from Victoria Road resident Mark Needs has shown a number of lorries and other vehicles getting into difficulty over the years, despite warning signs alerting drivers to its presence.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Her sister’s presence is central to the display.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Earlier spacecraft had detected the presence of bow shocks at outer planets, but they lacked the measurements needed to reveal the detailed structure of the plasma waves involved.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

But she was rescued from the discussion by Molly, who finally decided to grace them with her presence.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

All his works are commanding presences, while some seem to be straining to be larger than they are.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 13, 2025

But smaller firms without global presences will be out of luck.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico have been constant presences in the Champions League, Sevilla have dominated the Europa League, Villarreal triumphed in 2021, and even the Conference League has seen Spanish representation with Real Betis.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2025

Both Hinkle and Gonazález gamely play other characters, but these sketched presences compound the general impression of a comic world drawn without much nuance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2025

The smoke he hunted was not visible but he knew the nose could tell of presences in the cockpit of which the eye was unaware.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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