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.

---

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

---

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

“Wellness has literally changed my life,” said Hadley Williams, a junior and the chapter president, who was sipping an iced matcha latte with coconut water and a splash of oat milk after class.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

Pena was succeeded by former vice president Pedro Alliana, who promised not to abandon the almost three million depositors, including pensioners, affected by Ueno's demise.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

When no party prevails in the parliament, the president — an otherwise largely ceremonial figure — selects which party can lead in forming a government.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

Afterwards, senate president Basilio Núñez said Peña was found guilty of "dereliction of duty".

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

—Deven Sharma, president of S&P Testimony before U.S.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Congress has carved out an exemption to the National Historic Preservation Act, in order to allow presidents to make needed changes.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

He said the proclamation would "make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space" and prevent future presidents from carrying out any building work on the two rooms.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

Ever since, the Middle East has flummoxed and vexed American presidents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

“No one wants to talk about that. None of the other presidents wanted to touch it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

I knew things like the names of presidents and states.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---