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

Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro, resigned in protest on Friday morning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Alan García, president from 1985 to 1990 and 2006 to 2011, killed himself in 2019 as he faced imminent arrest over allegations he was bribed by Odebrecht.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Ceuta's regional president said at least 34 people have lost their lives in the treacherous dash into the territory.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Real estate professionals across the state have seen cybercrimes like these increasing, said Chris Duff, president of Greater Los Angeles Realtors Assn. and co-owner of Beach Real Estate Group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

As committed as she was to the president, would she really leave her husband behind?

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

Humala was the first of four Peruvian presidents to be investigated in connection with the Odebrecht scandal.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

From Washington, D.C., to Rhode Island to Oregon, federal judges nominated by presidents from both parties, including Donald Trump, have zeroed in on what’s called “the presumption of regularity.”

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 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

Ceremonial visits have been going on for years, and both Democratic and Republican presidents have embraced the tradition with athletes from various sports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

US presidents were something the boy happened to know a lot about.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman