vice president

American

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

Or vice-president

noun

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

vice president British

noun

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

"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

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

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

Etymology

Origin of vice president

First recorded in 1565–75

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.

It has leaned into recruiting military veterans, which now make up 25% of its workforce, says Jeremy Rangel, the company’s vice president of aircraft services.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

Within seconds, Secret Service agents evacuated the president and vice president, while armed personnel flooded the room.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

The results were “a good example of the tangible progress we’re making on just executing better,” John Pitzer, Intel’s corporate vice president of investor relations, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

Jamey Millar, Novo’s executive vice president of U.S. operations, earlier told Barron’s that there was no head-to-head trial comparing the efficacy of Foundayo with the Wegovy pill.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

“One of the guys from my army company is now the vice president of a bank. Another owns his own law firm. And another is a judge.”

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023