president

American  

[prez-i-duhnt] / ˈprɛz ɪ dənt /

noun

presidents plural

1. the highest executive officer of a modern republic, as the chief executive of the United States.

   sworn in as the 56th president of Mexico.

2. an officer appointed or elected to preside over an organized body of persons.

3. the chief officer of a college, university, society, corporation, etc.

4. a person who presides.

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president British  

/ ˈprɛzɪdənt, ˌprɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl /

noun

1. (often capital) the chief executive or head of state of a republic, esp of the US

2. (in the US) the chief executive officer of a company, corporation, etc

3. a person who presides over an assembly, meeting, etc

4. the chief executive officer of certain establishments of higher education

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• presidentship
  noun
• presidential
  adjective
• presidentially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• presidents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of president

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin praesident- (stem of praesidēns ), noun use of present participle of praesidēre “to preside over, sit in front of”; see preside, -ent

Explanation

The president is the person officially in charge — whether it’s of a republic, a company, a college, or a fan club. This is a word for a leader, like the President of the United States or the president of the National Football League Players' Union. Many organizations have presidents, and they're usually elected by members of that group. When it’s followed by a name, the title president gets a capital p, as in President Obama. Whether with a P or p, the job of a president is to preside in a formal or official capacity.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

president presidents

Cooper has briefed the president in person only a handful of times since the war began, and Trump and the commander have only occasionally talked by phone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Who was the first graduate of West Point to become the president of the United States?

From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026

Joe Maier, JD, CPA, is senior vice president and director of wealth strategy at Johnson Financial Group.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

“To unlock this potential, we need an effective organization to layer AI on,” Megha Yethadka, Uber’s vice president of global community operations, said in a memo to staff last week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The president had just finished his lunchtime swim when the secretary of defense called with the U-2 news.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

This is the boldest move Infantino, an administrator who views himself as a world leader on par with presidents and prime ministers, has made in the decade since he became Fifa president.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

It doesn’t help that the vice presidents constantly runs down his wife in speeches, comments he tries to play off as jokes, but which are too hard-edged to sell as jovial.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

The 18 governors and reserve bank presidents who, with Warsh, make up the interest rate-setting committee “have received me incredibly warmly,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“None of these presidents are famous for his love for civil liberties,” Lee noted.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

“What a welcome sight. You know, it’s funny how often people forget that presidents need to eat, too,” President Snow says charmingly.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins