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 /

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

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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

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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

“I absolutely really love both,” said Andrea Edwards, president of the staff guild.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

Four bodies handed over to special forces on a mission to Haiti to recover Salvadoran hostages are "not our men", El Salvador's president has said.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

Despite not receiving the endorsement of the faculty guild, Buelna retains the support of a number of faculty members, including the president of the academic senate, Angela Echeverri.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

The president has been briefed on a series of options prepared by the Pentagon, officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

Gosh, I was sick of that date, and it wasn’t just because that is when our sixteenth president was assassinated.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

The Russian, Chinese and US presidents, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, could potentially meet at an upcoming Asia-Pacific summit in China, the Kremlin said on Monday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

This year, the candidates for state superintendent of public instruction are presidents of their local board of education.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

The presidents of Romania and Bulgaria are due to discuss today whether Article 4 of the Nato treaty should be invoked.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Earlier presidents acquired territory because sovereignty itself delivered things they wanted: minerals, ports, military positions and control over trade routes.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

His father, Guy Waterman, is a musician and freelance writer who, among other claims to modest fame, authored speeches for presidents, ex-presidents, and other prominent Washington politicians.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

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