preside
Americanverb (used without object)
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presides,
present (3rd person singular)
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presided,
past participle, past
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presiding
present participle
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to occupy the place of authority or control, as in an assembly or meeting; act as president or chairperson.
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to exercise management or control (usually followed byover ).
The lawyer presided over the estate.
verb
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to sit in or hold a position of authority, as over a meeting
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to exercise authority; control
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to occupy a position as an instrumentalist
he presided at the organ
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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presidesimple
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presidessimple
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have presidedperfect
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has presidedperfect
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am presidingprogressive
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are presidingprogressive
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is presidingprogressive
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have been presidingperfect progressive
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has been presidingperfect progressive
Past
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presidedsimple
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had presidedperfect
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was presidingprogressive
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were presidingprogressive
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had been presidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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 sit 1
Explanation
When you preside over something, you're acting as the leader or president. The captain of a club presides over the meetings. Whether your title is President or not, when you preside, you're acting as a president or another kind of leader. A judge presides over a courtroom. The owner of a business presides over staff meetings. If you work in an office, your boss presides over the office. Presiding can mean ruling or just supervising something. If you preside over something, you're in charge of it.
Vocabulary lists containing preside
"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" by Patrick Henry (1775)
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Just Mercy
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 23–29, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That’s when Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee, is expected to preside over his first meeting as the new chairman.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
It’s a two-year term to preside over Southern Section Council meetings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
The pope is scheduled to preside over Mass from that basilica on April 22, the last full day of his trip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
In theory, Powell will preside over his final interest-rate-setting meeting as Fed chair on April 28-29.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
Wary of more bad press, Stanton wanted James Mott or Frederick Douglass to preside.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Now he’s married with seven kids and presides over something of an online personal-finance empire that includes an app, books, workshops and social-media communities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Consider the decision from the 6th Circuit, which incorporated Consumers’ Research into its reasoning, and which presides over Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2026
In Texas, the county judge presides over and votes in the county’s commissioner court, which handles county government administration.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
André De Shields, Tony-winning royalty, presides over this Jellicle Ball in the role of Old Deuteronomy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Down by the depot, the postmistress, a gaunt woman who wears a rawhide jacket and denims and cowboy boots, presides over a falling-apart post office.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Walgren had presided earlier this year over the trial related to the 2018 killing at the same building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
This leads to a civil suit argued by the star of “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law” and presided over by the leading light of “Mike Tyson Mysteries.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
This follows eight years when the central bank was led by Jerome Powell, who presided over the Fed’s pandemic response.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
The coroner who presided over the inquest, Caroline Topping, told us she was unable to comment.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
As president of the committee, Clarkson presided over its daily meeting and helped organize its operation.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Held in a stifling courtroom during the peak of summer, the proceedings involved day after day of contentious confrontation as the couple sought to exasperate Li Mien, the presiding judge, at every opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
"What the defendant did offended the Balinese people, hurt their faith and provoked public outrage," the presiding judge said, according to the Associated Press.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
He cited Burnham’s work as Manchester mayor to better align technical education with local labor-market needs, while presiding over a period of strong economic growth in the region.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
A dissent by presiding Justice Alison Tucher concluded the majority misread the proposition, which she said must adhere to the state’s civil rights laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
In the distance she could see the pale spires of the palace, windows lit with hundreds of candles in the dark night, presiding over the merriment in the Square like a distant, decorous Fairy Queen.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
