President Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms president American [prez-i-duhnt] / ˈprɛz ɪ dənt /

noun

1. the highest executive officer of a modern republic, as the chief executive of the United States.

   sworn in as the 56th president of Mexico.

2. an officer appointed or elected to preside over an organized body of persons.

3. the chief officer of a college, university, society, corporation, etc.

4. a person who presides.

president British / ˈprɛzɪdənt, ˌprɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl /

noun

1. (often capital) the chief executive or head of state of a republic, esp of the US

2. (in the US) the chief executive officer of a company, corporation, etc

3. a person who presides over an assembly, meeting, etc

4. the chief executive officer of certain establishments of higher education

"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

Other Word Forms

• presidential adjective
• presidentially adverb
• presidentship noun

Etymology

Origin of president

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin praesident- (stem of praesidēns ), noun use of present participle of praesidēre “to preside over, sit in front of”; preside, -ent

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.

Argentina’s fragmented Congress typically wields strong leverage over presidents who lack a majority, forcing them to negotiate constantly with provincial power brokers to avoid paralysis.

From The Wall Street Journal

Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, according to media reports.

From Barron's

The CAR still significantly relies on Russian military advice, but the president has taken time to rebuild good relations with France and maintain a close partnership with the EU and the UN.

From BBC

"We have serious concerns about a driver who has any responsibilities behind the wheel engaging in texting," says Cathy Chase, president of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

From BBC

“AI makes better malware more accessible to more people, and that sucks,” said Trevor Hilligoss, former FBI Cyber Task force agent and current senior vice president at security firm SpyCloud Labs.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.