presentation

American  

[prez-uhn-tey-shuhn, pree-zen-] / ˌprɛz ənˈteɪ ʃən, ˌpri zɛn- /

noun

presentations plural

1. an act of presenting.

2. the state of being presented.

3. a social introduction, as of a person at court.

4. an exhibition or performance, as of a play or film.

5. offering, delivering, or bestowal, as of a gift.

6. a gift.

7. a demonstration, lecture, or welcoming speech.

8. a manner or style of speaking, instructing, or putting oneself forward.

   His presentation was very poor.

9. Commerce. the presentment of a bill, note, or the like.

10. Obstetrics.

    1. the position of the fetus in the uterus during labor.

    2. the appearance of a particular part of the fetus at the cervix during labor.

       a breech presentation.

11. Ecclesiastical. the act or the right of presenting a member of the clergy to the bishop for institution to a benefice.

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presentation British  

/ ˌprɛzənˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of presenting or state of being presented

2. the manner of presenting, esp the organization of visual details to create an overall impression

   the presentation of the project is excellent but the content poor

3. the method of presenting

   his presentation of the facts was muddled

4. a verbal report presented with illustrative material, such as slides, graphs, etc

   a presentation on the company results

5. 1. an offering or bestowal, as of a gift

   2. ( as modifier )

      a presentation copy of a book

6. a performance or representation, as of a play

7. the formal introduction of a person, as into society or at court; debut

8. the act or right of nominating a clergyman to a benefice

9. med the position of a baby relative to the birth canal at the time of birth

10. commerce another word for presentment

11. television linking material between programmes, such as announcements, trailers, or weather reports

12. an archaic word for gift

13. philosophy a sense datum

14. (often capital) another name for (feast of) Candlemas

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpresentation
  noun
• self-presentation
  noun
• presentational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• presentations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of presentation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin praesentātiōn-, stem of praesentātiō “exhibition, showing, nomination to a benefice, religious dedication”; equivalent to present ² + -ation

Explanation

The noun presentation means the official giving, or presenting, of something. The presentation of diplomas at a graduation ceremony is the part that makes many of the parents in the audience cry. A presentation can be a ceremony of giving some gift or award, and it can also be a demonstration or show — like a dog training presentation at your local pet store. Another meaning of presentation is a style of displaying something — like the presentation of plants and flowers in the florist's window or the presentation of food on a buffet table. In the 1600s, presentation was commonly used to mean "show or play," as in "a theatrical presentation."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

presentation presentations

Tesla amended its presentation in April to signal that preparations are underway for those cities but did not give a timeline.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

Losurdo received the award for best presentation for this research at the international Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society late last year.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

In a presentation with analysts, Netflix executives touted global expansion plans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

The instrumentals uplift the presentation of the other tracks.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026

“You gave that presentation three days ago, Silas,” she says.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

I’ve seen it on many products, in many different presentations — pink-glitter bubble letters on a sticker, loopy black cursive on a tote bag, industrial embroidery on a hat.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

Kwan said she would attend presentations with her sales team and rehearse what she saw in the mirror “over and over and over again” until it became second nature.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

Hernandez advocated for a 90-day public comment window and also called for presentations on underground infrastructure, especially in the wake of the East L.A. pipeline that was punctured during construction work in late May.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

Reached by phone, the company’s co-owner Eddie Wood said the government did entertain presentations from two companies that make the material used to line the bottom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

They paraded in full costume down Durham’s Main Street and gave presentations at the Academy of Music.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• appearance
• delivery
• demonstration
• display
• introduction
• offering
• production
• proposal
• reception
• show
• submission