vice president

American  

[vahys prez-i-duhnt] / ˈvaɪs ˈprɛz ɪ dənt /

Or vice-president

noun

• vice presidents
  plural

1. an officer next in rank to a president who serves as president in the president's absence.

2. an officer next in rank to a president who serves as a deputy to the president or oversees a special division or function.

3. U.S. Government. the officer of this rank who is elected at the same time as the president and who succeeds to the presidency upon the resignation, removal, death, or disability of the president.

   Lincoln's first vice president was Hannibal Hamlin.

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vice president British  

noun

1. Abbreviation: VP.   V. Pres.  an officer ranking immediately below a president and serving as his deputy. A vice president takes the president's place during his absence or incapacity, after his death, and in certain other circumstances

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Usage

Why is the term vice president in the news? On August 11, 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced he selected California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate for the 2020 presidential election.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vice presidency
  noun
• vice-presidency
  noun
• vice presidential
  adjective
• vice-presidential
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vice presidents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vice president

First recorded in 1565–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vice president

“That interrupts your experience, and it kind of takes you out of the moment,” said Emily Kennedy, a vice president of business development at a music agency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Anand, who will also serve as senior executive vice president, starts on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

This is illustrated by the accompanying chart, courtesy of calculations provided by Wes Crill, a vice president at Dimensional Fund Advisers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Former cabinet minister and Labour Party deputy leader Lord Tom Watson has become a senior vice president at US tech firm Palantir.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The other man, who had introduced himself as Rich Fowler, the vice president and legal counsel, but who Tuttle had introduced as his assistant, had been mostly quiet, leaning against the window behind his boss.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore