definitions

preside

[ pri-zahyd ]
/ prɪˈzaɪd /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR preside ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), pre·sid·ed, pre·sid·ing.

to occupy the place of authority or control, as in an assembly or meeting; act as president or chairperson.
to exercise management or control (usually followed by over): The lawyer presided over the estate.

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RELATED WORDS

spokesman, administrator, chairperson, director, leader, chairwoman, monitor, moderator, speaker, president, chair, captain, principal, toastmaster, spokesperson, symposiarch, introducer, prolocutor

Nearby words

preset, preset board, preshave, preshrink, preshrunk, preside, presidencia roque sáenz peña, presidency, president, president pro tempore, president-elect

Origin of preside

1605–15; < Latin praesidēre to preside over, literally, sit in front of, equivalent to prae- pre- + -sidēre, combining form of sedēre to sit1

Related forms

pre·sid·er, nounun·pre·sid·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for presider

  • Mars was the presider over gladiators, and was the god of all exercises, which have in them a manly or spirited character.

    Heathen Mythology|Various

British Dictionary definitions for presider

preside

/ (prɪˈzaɪd) /

verb (intr)

to sit in or hold a position of authority, as over a meeting
to exercise authority; control
to occupy a position as an instrumentalisthe presided at the organ

Derived Forms

presider, noun

Word Origin for preside

C17: via French from Latin praesidēre to superintend, from prae before + sedēre to sit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012