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

“Having more things in a system of record, having more things accessible, is the fuel that powers the innovation,” said Joe Inzerillo, Salesforce’s president of enterprise and AI technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

A president whose best friends are the people who need him might one day discover that they no longer do.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Kamel Chibli, vice president of the Occitanie regional council in southern France, said digital pouches and lockers used to store smartphones cost the regional authorities around 40,000 euros for a high school with 1,500 students.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

But when asked whom the president had been talking to, Bessent said he would not “name names.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

With the election just weeks away, Senator Kennedy, the Democratic nominee for president, warned that America was losing the Cold War.

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

At the meeting, regional Fed presidents Beth Hammack, Lorie Logan and Neel Kashkari all favored raising interest rates immediately.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Two school board presidents, one conservative and one liberal, will face each other in California’s November runoff for state schools superintendent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Some have been more successful at that than others, and at times attorneys general on both sides of the aisle have been thorns in the side of the presidents they serve.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

We actually had a system where presidents would follow the Constitution, go to Congress, say, “May I receive these?,” and Congress would take an up or down vote.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

Many Americans assumed that presidents in a democracy weren't at risk of assassination.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow