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

In 1978 she replaced her late husband Hubert, who represented Minnesota in the Senate after serving as Lyndon Johnson’s vice president.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

"We hope never to see this man in the chess world again," said Volodymyr Kovalchuk, first vice president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Mr. Vance’s spokesman insisted the vice president had been there more than two dozen times since taking office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Vance, who recently welcomed the birth of their fourth child with wife Usha, is the first vice president for decades with young children.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

“Only one person gets to be vice president, right? If there are a lot of people running, then you can’t take it too much to heart if you don’t get it.”

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff