preside
Americanverb (used without object)
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presides,
present (3rd person singular)
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presided,
past participle, past
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presiding
present participle
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to occupy the place of authority or control, as in an assembly or meeting; act as president or chairperson.
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to exercise management or control (usually followed byover ).
The lawyer presided over the estate.
verb
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to sit in or hold a position of authority, as over a meeting
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to exercise authority; control
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to occupy a position as an instrumentalist
he presided at the organ
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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presidesimple
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presidessimple
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have presidedperfect
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has presidedperfect
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am presidingprogressive
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are presidingprogressive
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is presidingprogressive
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have been presidingperfect progressive
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has been presidingperfect progressive
Past
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presidedsimple
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had presidedperfect
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was presidingprogressive
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were presidingprogressive
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had been presidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of preside
1605–15; < Latin praesidēre to preside over, literally, sit in front of, equivalent to prae- pre- + -sidēre, combining form of sedēre to sit 1
Explanation
When you preside over something, you're acting as the leader or president. The captain of a club presides over the meetings. Whether your title is President or not, when you preside, you're acting as a president or another kind of leader. A judge presides over a courtroom. The owner of a business presides over staff meetings. If you work in an office, your boss presides over the office. Presiding can mean ruling or just supervising something. If you preside over something, you're in charge of it.
Vocabulary lists containing preside
"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" by Patrick Henry (1775)
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Just Mercy
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 23–29, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Los Angeles County voters face four runoff contests for Superior Court seats on Nov. 3, deciding who will preside over criminal and civil cases across the region.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
In 1851, Supreme Court justices still “rode circuit,” traveling the country to preside at federal trials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
That’s when Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee, is expected to preside over his first meeting as the new chairman.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
On Sunday, Leo will preside over Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square before delivering a typically political blessing which is especially anticipated this year.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Perhaps he would offer to preside over the discussion, as a mediator.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Now he’s married with seven kids and presides over something of an online personal-finance empire that includes an app, books, workshops and social-media communities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
At the same time, the federal judge in L.A. who presides over the agreement appears poised to appoint a powerful new enforcer to uphold it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Consider the decision from the 6th Circuit, which incorporated Consumers’ Research into its reasoning, and which presides over Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2026
It presides over a state, not an armed movement.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
His aunt, Uma Maima, presides in the kitchen all morning, harassing the servants as they squat by the drain scouring the dirty dishes with ash, or pound heaps of spices on slabs that resemble tombstones.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The hearing is where the debasement gets acknowledged, years late, under fluorescent lights, by the people who presided over it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The pre-trial process has been going on for so long that it has now been presided over by five different military judges.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Walgren had presided earlier this year over the trial related to the 2018 killing at the same building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
He presided over the program’s best-ever stretch, with a 65% win rate over two decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Like Virginia Tucker before her, Dorothy Vaughan now presided over an appendix, still attached to the research operation but whose function had attenuated over time.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
The judge presiding over the case ordered a hearing on Wednesday, where both sides will argue why the charges should stand or be dismissed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Judge Julie Mata, who was presiding over the paternity case, wasn’t as amused.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Carrick was appointed head coach on a permanent basis with a two-year contract in May after presiding over 12 victories in 17 games when in temporary charge following Amorim's dismissal.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Global economic leaders are now presiding over rising anxiety in financial markets at a particularly lousy moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
He resigned the office of Deputy Mayor at the Free Fair that mid-summer, and dear old Will Whitfoot had another seven years of presiding at Banquets.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
