preside

[ pri-zahyd ]

/ prɪˈzaɪd /

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See synonyms for: preside / presiding on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), pre·sid·ed, pre·sid·ing.

to occupy the place of authority or control, as in an assembly or meeting; act as president or chairperson.

to exercise management or control (usually followed by over): The lawyer presided over the estate.

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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 sit¹

OTHER WORDS FROM preside

pre·sid·er, nounun·pre·sid·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use preside in a sentence

As a regular night for the Congress dinners hosted by the president, it would have been presided over by Washington’s cook, Hercules Posey — a chef so notable that he was famous in his own time.
George Washington’s 1795 Thanksgiving celebrated liberty. But the chef behind the feast had none.|Ramin Ganeshram|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
The former Ohio governor presided over a period of record growth in the Buckeye State, adding more than a half-million jobs and expanding health coverage for low-income, vulnerable residents.
Real Talk, Real Change|Daniel Malloy|November 17, 2020|Ozy
Pelosi will also continue as speaker, although she will be presiding over a smaller majority after Democrats performed below their expectations in House and Senate races in Tuesday’s election.
Lame-duck Congress and lame-duck president face huge challenges in coming weeks|Erica Werner, Paul Kane, Yasmeen Abutaleb|November 8, 2020|Washington Post
Pelosi will continue as speaker but preside over a smaller majority based on Tuesday’s election results.
Stimulus talks set to resume in Washington, but Pelosi and McConnell are at odds again|Erica Werner|November 6, 2020|Washington Post

Donations surged when Graham made news, such as presiding over the quick confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and they went up when independent polls found the race to be within single digits.
The Trailer: Partisan realities clash, again, this time on the vote count|David Weigel|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
In 2006, the firm presided over a routine steam-injection procedure known as “well stimulation.”
The Fiery Underground Oil Pit Eating L.A.|Geoff Manaugh|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His case was sent to Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Salavati.
Iran’s Blogfather Walks Free After Six Years in Jail|IranWire|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The judge who presided over the adoption dubbed it a “legal Twilight Zone.”
Money, Murder, and Adoption: The Wild Trial of the Polo King|Jacqui Goddard|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Obama presided over the withdrawal American forces from Iraq, and announced a timetable for their pullout from Afghanistan.
Obama Is the New Dubya|Lloyd Green|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He presided over the preternatural creation of 30 million new jobs—and the sharpest rise in median incomes in a generation.
No One’s Going to Challenge Hillary Clinton|Robert Shrum|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Grace presided at the head of the table, and more than one glance did Lawrence cast at the lovely girl.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
It is true that the chancellor, who presided at that judgment, treated the illustrious captive with too much rigor.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
With the sun was associated a supreme power that presided over the universe, benignant and eternal.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
Hestia (Roman Vesta) presided over the private hearths and homesteads of the Greeks, and imparted to them a sacred character.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
A divinity presided over bakers, another over ovens,--every vocation and every household transaction had its presiding deities.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord

British Dictionary definitions for preside

preside

/ (prɪˈzaɪd) /

verb (intr)

to sit in or hold a position of authority, as over a meeting

to exercise authority; control

to occupy a position as an instrumentalisthe presided at the organ

Derived forms of preside

presider, noun

Word Origin for preside

C17: via French from Latin praesidēre to superintend, from prae before + sedēre to sit

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

preside

Origin of preside

OTHER WORDS FROM preside

Words related to preside

How to use preside in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for preside

Derived forms of preside

Word Origin for preside